The Secret Eve: Once Upon A Time
by GraniteWriter
Summary: The Dark One wasn't alone in the beginning. The Light One was defeated long ago, but what happened to the third Origin of Magic; The Pure One? After centuries of myths and legends, Rumplestilskin stumbles upon The Pure One in the Enchanted Forest. Her name is Eve.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is the first chapter of my story based in the Once Upon A Time universe. Obviously, I didn't create any of the characters except the story's main character, Eve. This is my first time publishing anything online, so any feedback would be really appreciated. I hope you enjoy the story - it's a long one!**

"Five?!" The man bellowed. "Five bronze coins for a bag of wheat?!"

"I don't decide the prices, sir..." Eve began, but the drunken man proceeded to giggle.

"For five bronze coins, I could have my way with you for a full night!" The man yelled loudly enough for his group of equally drunken friends to hear.

"I'm not for sale, sir." Eve explained firmly, feeling her legs begin to tremble. "If you don't like the price of the wheat, then walk away."

Unfortunately, an unsettling grin spread across the brute's face and he leaned over the stall with his elbow propped on a stack of wheat bags. His grimy face was so close to Eve's that she could smell the ale on his breath.

"A little whore like you doesn't get to tell me what to do" He sneered, and raised his hand in the air in preparation to strike her.

Eve winced, shrinking back into herself as she waited for the blow.

"I would think twice about doing that, dearie"

Eve opened her eyes to find a cloaked man with a hidden face grasping at the drunken man's arm.

"I'm sure the wheat here is made of sheep dung anyways!" The man sneered, too drunk to get angry enough with this mysterious figure to start a fight.

The hooded man released his grip, and with Eve, they watched him stagger away to rejoin his friends as they entered the tavern across the alley.

"Thank you, sir" Eve spoke quietly as she waited for the hooded man to face her.

With a graceful spin, the man turned and Eve struggled to keep her composure. Beneath the hood, she saw glowing green eyes and shimmering golden skin. The smile was full of mischief and glee, but Eve was too captivated to feel any fear that he may have intended to inflict.

"No problem, dearie" The man spoke again, his voice high pitched and laced with an unidentifiable accent.

"Would you like a bag?" Eve offered, holding a bag out to him graciously. "Free of charge...It's the least I can do?"

The strange man tilted his head at the young woman, looking genuinely intrigued by the kindness in her eyes despite his appearance. She looked completely un-phased and her eyes were full of kindness.

"Very well" The man replied, gingerly taking the bag from her hands. "Many thanks."

"Have a nice evening, sir" Eve replied, giving him a genuine smile of appreciation.

Without another word, the man's face disappeared into the darkness of his cloak and Eve watched him walk away and out of sight.

Several more hours passed until Eve decided it was late enough to close her stall and return home with the money she had made. It took her a few moments to load up the bags she hadn't sold onto the wooden cart, and with a final glance at the nearby tavern, she started her journey. In truth, she hated the route she took home from the market place; especially at this time of night on her own but with the rest of her family working tirelessly on the farm, Eve had no choice. She was a couple of minutes away from the market place when she heard footsteps behind her.

"Oi, whore!"

Eve looked over her shoulder to find the same drunken man from earlier standing the entrance of the alleyway with at least three of his friends behind him. Instead of stopping, she gripped at the cart she was pulling behind her, and continued walking without acknowledging the drunks. Her heart began to pound in her ears.

"Hey, come back here! I want to buy some wheat!" The man jeered as the group of men began to follow closely behind her.

"We're closed for the day. We'll be open in the market place tomorrow." Eve replied evenly without looking back.

"Aww c'mon!" The man whined. "You can't make the customer wait a full night! It's not good business!"

The alley came to an end at a considerably large, empty crossroads and Eve noticed that the man's friends were blocking each path to the connecting alleys. Understanding the situation, Eve lowered the cart gently to the ground and turned to see the drunken man standing only several feet away.

"Neither is striking the seller, sir." Eve retorted, regretting the jeer immediately.

"You've got quite the mouth on you, whore. I like that" The man circled the wooden cart as Eve took a few steps back; acutely aware that all her escape routes were blocked by men with unsettling smirks on their faces.

"Please, sir. You really don't want to do this. Go back to your tavern for a drink...Don't ruin the evening for you and your friends" Eve pleaded with him as she felt the adrenaline rush through her...which only meant one thing for Eve in a situation like this.

The man chuckled and continued to close the distance between them. "Are you threatening me, whore?"

Rumplestilskin watched from the rooftop as the girl lowered the cart to the ground in the clearing below. There were men blocking each entrance to the connecting alleyways, and Rumple couldn't see how the girl was going to escape.

"...Don't ruin the evening for you and your friends." Rumple had to stifle a giggle – the girl was brave at least.

"Are you threatening me, whore?" The man chuckled in disbelief, closing the gap between him and the young woman.

"No, I'm simply warning you." The girl replied evenly, taking another step backwards; now standing directly beneath Rumple's spot on the rooftop.

"I don't know if you've noticed, whore, but you're con-considerably outnumbered" The man slurred slightly, gesturing to the men standing around them.

"I'm aware of that, Sir, and yet I'll warn you again. Don't ruin your night." The girl growled, glaring fiercely upwards.

The man began to chuckle once again, until his face suddenly dropped and he threw the girl up against the wall before anyone could think. Rumplestilskin was about to move, but stopped himself when he saw the man suddenly fly back into view. He skidded on his back along the pavement until hitting the wall. Unable to see what had happened, Rumple peered at the faces of the surrounding men; all of whom looked horrified.

"I told you!" The girl yelled as she walked back into view. "Now go! Please!"

The man staggered to his feet, and his eyes practically glowed with rage. "NO WHORE CAN TELL ME WHAT TO DO!"

And with that, the man charged for her but there was flash of golden light and he was thrown up against the wall, and Rumplestilskin couldn't muffle his giggle in time. Luckily, the shrill sound went unnoticed as the girl stalked towards the man as his feet dangled in the air with his friends disappeared through the alleyways in fear.

"Let's get one thing clear, shall we sir?" The girl hissed as she came to a stop in front of the man. "I am not a whore. You don't know me! But I know who you are. You're a drunken fool who deserves pain for your evil intentions!"

She raised her hand in the air and the man slumped to the ground.

"Now run far away, and make sure that I never see you in this area again!"

Without needing to be told twice, the man pulled himself to his feet and sprinted away. He stumbled on the cobblestones as he ran, but looking over his shoulder with a face full of fear; he continued running until he was out of sight.

Eve didn't bother stealing a few moments to feel smug and turned to pick up the wooden cart. But the sudden sound of high-pitched cackling startled her and in the blink of an eye, a figure appeared sitting on top of the stacked bags of wheat. It took her a moment to recognise the man from the market place without his cloak. The outfit he wore was a mixture of reds and blacks with flashes of pure gold throughout, and his exposed skin shimmered against brown, wavy locks of shoulder length hair.

"That was quite the show, dearie!" The man sung, and proceeded to giggle again.

"It's you." Eve murmured, looking up at him as he shuddered with laughter that was gradually fading.

"I'm surprised you let him live. I certainly wouldn't have!" He announced giddily.

"I'm not sure I could have...Even if I wanted to" Eve replied earnestly, gazing into his glowing eyes for a brief moment before looking down at her feet.

"That's not true! From the looks of it, you could have easily turned him to dust!"

"It doesn't really work like that." Eve explained solemnly, "I don't have much control over my magic."

"Well that can easily be fixed, dearie!" The man replied cheerfully as he leaped off the cart and landed to the ground with a bow.

"Rumplestilskin is the name!"

"Oh!" Eve proclaimed, her eyes widening a fraction. "The Dark One!"

"That's right!" He replied with a grin, expecting her to cower in fear – only to watch the girl curtsey before him.

"My name is Eve" She introduced herself with a small smile.

Rumple frowned, tilting his head. "You don't seem very afraid, dearie."

"Should I be?" Eve asked earnestly, and a giggle erupted from Rumple's lips.

"I haven't decided yet!" He replied excitedly, waving his hands in the air with a flourish.

"Well if you'll forgive me, Rumplestilskin, sir; I have to return to my farm. My family are probably wondering where I've disappeared to..." Eve stepped towards the cart, but Rumple blocked her path.

"Slow down dearie! I wanted to make you an offer!" Rumplestilskin announced with song.

"An offer?" Eve asked doubtfully with a cautious smile.

"I, Rumplestilskin, will agree to teach you magic!" He replied with glee.

"You'll teach me magic?!" Eve's eyes widened, but her demeanour dimmed after a thought. "But...But I'm afraid I don't have anything to offer you in return, Sir. I don't have anything to give you."

Rumplestilskin grabbed his chin and thought for a moment. "Not a problem, my dear! Consider this an investment in your future!"

"An investment in my future...?" Eve frowned slightly.

"Indeed!" He replied with a giggle. "I've never seen someone wield magic as naturally as you, dear Eve! Your future could be a bright one...With the proper guidance of course!"

Eve considered the offer for a couple of moments, remembering the rumours she had heard about dealings with the Dark One. She hadn't heard of a story where things hadn't gone terribly wrong.

"You have a reputation, Rumplestilskin" Eve began with a shaky breath.

She watched him raise an eyebrow as he smiled at her, waiting for her to continue.

"The deals you do...They usually don't end well..." She finished, glancing up at him nervously.

"While that may be true; I can tell you two things." Rumple replied with a grin, holding up his hand in front of her. "One; most people I do business with are never cautious enough...They're not the sharpest tools in the workshop. And two; this isn't a deal! Like I said, this is an investment. I get nothing in return!"

Eve's eyes fell on the cart of wheat she had yet to return home with. "I don't see the harm in agreeing to your offer, Rumplestilskin...And that's why I must graciously refuse."

The creature giggled, taking Eve by surprise. "You're wise young lady, Eve! More wise than most people I've ever met – and I've only know you for less than an hour."

"Thank you, Sir. I'm sorry if I've offended you in any way but you see, my family doesn't know about my...abilities, and I don't know if I want to risk exposing them to it. I've heard the saying; magic comes with a price."

"It does indeed, Eve. Your family must be worried by now, you best be on your way, yes?" He stepped to the side to let Eve pass.

With a smile, Eve picked up her cart and began to walk away until Rumple called out to her.

"One little tip before you leave!"

"Yes, Sir?" Eve asked, looking over her shoulder at him.

"Magic may come with a price! But it seems to me like you're a different situation altogether. It's purely natural for you, meaning you've never had to pay for it in the first place. There's very few that have existed in this realm that have had that gift. A gift that is not even possessed by the Dark One!" Rumple spoke clearly, waving his hands towards his chest. "Which is why I will let you have a chance to take my offer, should you ever decide to change your mind?"

Eve's face spread out into a smile at the sight of the creature's pure glee. "I'm very glad to have had the pleasure of meeting you, Rumplestilskin. Have a good evening."

And with that, the girl walked away; leaving the Dark One staring after her with a glimmer of hope in his eye. She was a curious creature indeed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: This is the second chapter. I hope you're already invested!**

The following afternoon, Eve was asked to fetch a supply of firewood that would last for at least three days, which meant that Eve had to drag the cart through the off-trail part of the woods – which she knew, would take her until nightfall. Luckily for Eve, as a result of a storm which occurred in the previous week; many twigs and branches were a part of the damage, meaning that Eve's job became a lot easier and a lot quicker to complete. She was finished just before sunset and carried the cart into the farm house.

"Mother, I've finished with the firewood." Eve called through the door way to their small cottage.

"Already?" Eve's mother appeared in the window.

"Last week's storm left a lot of debris on the forest floor" Eve explained with a small smile.

"Oh, well in that case, consider yourself a free woman for the rest of the evening."

"Really?" Eve's smile grew – this was not a frequent occasion.

"Of course! You've been working non-stop since your father left for the war – both at the market and on the farm. You deserve a bit of time to yourself."

"Are you sure, mother? I can help you with..." Eve began to protest, but her mother gently took hold of her chin.

"Go somewhere and relax, or take a walk; I don't care. You're taking a break, Eve."

"Thank you!" Eve hugged her mother. "I think I'm going to take a long walk in the forest and see how much damage that storm did...I probably won't be back until late."

"You're a grown woman, my love, do what you want. But please take a cloak and a lantern with you in case you're later getting back than planned."

Eve rolled her eyes, reading in between the lines. "Mother, I'm not going off to meet a boy."

"Sure you're not! It's not like you're always so eager to disappear into that forest just for the good of your health!"

"Goodbye mother!" Eve shook her head and laughed, turning away with a cloak in one hand and a lantern fastened to her waist.

Eve's walk became a lot longer than planned. The storm had blocked the main route Eve took on her evening hikes, and so she had to find a new route over the rivers and trenches within her beloved forest. It was nightfall by the time she took a rest by a small stream. She sat down on the rock and untied the lantern from her waist.

If Eve was a normal young woman, she would have had to start a separate fire in order to light her lantern; but luckily for her, this wasn't the case. Placing that open lantern on the rock next her, Eve tried to concentrate on setting the thing alight. Some days, Eve could be successful within half an hour, but because this was the first alone time she had had in weeks, the whole process was taking much longer.

"You're putting too much emphasis into the hand gestures, dearie"

Eve leapt to her feet with a start and whirled around, only to find Rumplestilskin on a large boulder lying down on his side. The moonlight reflected in his eyes and created a pale blue glimmer in his usually golden skin.

"I'm surprised to see you again, Sir." Eve greeted him with a friendly smile.

She watched Rumplestilskin roll onto his back. "I was bored, and thought I'd pay the lovely Eve a visit!"

With a giggle, he suddenly appeared at Eve's side; making her jump.

"Plus, it's positively painful to watch you fail at such a simple task!" He teased, gesturing to the unlit lantern.

"Hey!" Eve protested with a laugh. "I'm working on pure instinct, it's not easy!"

"It is actually," Rumple replied matter-of-factly, and stepped in closer to her.

Wordlessly, Eve watched him as he grabbed hold of her chin and gently turned her head in the direction of the lantern. With his other hand, he took her wrist and raised her arm outwards in the direction which her eyes now followed.

"You just need someone to show you how." He finished softly, and Eve made a big effort to remain still and wait for further instruction.

"Rather than letting your wrist do the work, let your willpower be the thing to guide the magic. Think of it as a journey from your core, travelling up into your arm, down to your wrist until finally, you start to feel the tips of your fingers start to tingle. Do you feel that?"

Eve let a smile play on her lips. "Yes, yes I can feel it"

"Good" Rumple grinned, "Now tell the magic what you want to do, and push the magic out of your hand entirely."

A moment of silence passed before a wisp of golden dust escaped Eve's hand and swiftly flew through the air. As soon as the dust made contact with the lantern, the flame lit within.

Rumple began to giggle with delight and Eve couldn't help grinning; magic never failed to give her a rush. It took her several moments before she lowered her arm and looked over at Rumple, who was standing close enough to make her blush.

"You're a quick learner, dearie." The creature hummed, taking a graceful step backwards to create some space between them.

"And you're a good teacher" Eve replied, not bothering to mask her surprise.

The two of them shared a comfortable silence as Eve turned back to watch the glow of the lantern.

"Do you really think that my magic doesn't come with the same price as other magic?" Eve spoke softly, glancing at the creature.

"I've seen it before. Any consequences you have will be yours; not your magic." Rumple replied with a grin.

Eve observed Rumplestilskin, and he observed her in return. "I think I want to accept your offer, Sir."

"It's about time, dearie!" Rumple threw his arms in the air.

"On one condition though..." Eve began.

"Go on?" The creature waggled his eyebrows in suspense.

"My family must never find out about my magic"

"Where are we going today?" Eve asked, meeting Rumplestilskin at their spot in the forest.

"I thought we could venture out a bit farther than usual, my dear. You could say we're on a quest!" He replied with glee.

"Sounds like fun." Eve grinned at his enthusiasm.

Rumple had been giving her lessons in magic for the last two months, and already her magic had advanced more so than it had in the first 24 years of her life. As well as her magic, the relationship between the two had grown and Eve couldn't help the development in her feelings for the creature. She genuinely didn't feel frightened around him, even when she had seen him lose his temper and for some reason, she felt like Rumple was feeling something along the same lines as her. But with saying that, she had made a promise to herself that she wouldn't be the one to act on those feelings. After all, he was the Dark One and Eve was just a farmer's daughter who happened to be born with magic.

"So how far away is this place?" Eve asked again as she watched Rumple fiddle with a suspended orb of water from the stream.

"Far enough that we'll have to use a less common form of transport!" He answered, flinging the orb in Eve's direction.

"Hey!" Eve flung her hand out to cover her face before impact, but upon opening her eyes she discovered that she had successfully brought the water to a halt in mid-air.

"You're getting better every day!" Rumple sang giddily and Eve let the orb of water splash onto the forest floor.

"Lead the way" Eve requested with a soft laugh, strolling to Rumple's side.

Without warning, Rumple grabbed her hand and Eve's vision was replaced with a cloud of thick, purple smoke. She was about to call out Rumple's name, until the smoke quickly dissolved and she realised their surroundings had completely changed. They were now standing on a beach with a wall of granite 50ft high and a mile long down the coast.

"You should have seen your face!" Rumple cackled, skipping ahead along the white sand.

"A bit of warning would be nice next time!" Eve called after him, taking a moment to let her vision return to full normality.

Jogging to his side, Eve glanced up at the granite cliffs in front of them and noticed the series of caves within its grand structure.

"Why did you bring us here?"

"You see those caves? Inside those caves lives a foul beast!"

"Okay...And why should that affect us?" Eve asked hesitantly as they edged closer to the nearest cave entrance.

"I agreed to slay this so-called beast for the locals as part of a deal. And you're going to help me do it!" Rumple let out an excited giggle.

"You need my help to slay a monster?" Eve asked doubtfully.

"Well okay fair enough...Put it this way; you're going to slay the monster, and I'm going to be the one helping you."

"What?" Eve's eyes widened. "You think I'm ready to go around cutting off heads of monsters?!"

"Tut-tut, dearie. We don't cut off heads, we're sorcerers! We go around crushing things with magic instead of using unreliable things like swords and spears."

"Rumple..." Eve began, coming to slow halt on the beach.

"Don't tell me you want to give up now, dearie?!" Rumple frowned, turning to her. "You've been doing so well!"

"I know but..."

"But nothing!" Rumple cut her off. "Every wielder of magic has to face beasts every now and again – it's no matter! With practice, you'll be like me; not even batting an eye lid at such a task!"

Eve looked at the creature for a moment. "Okay...But before we go in there, can I ask you to do something?"

"I'm listening" Rumple looked intrigued.

"If something does happen to me, and you can't do anything to stop it; will you tell my family? Not about the magic, or how I died – make something up. I just don't want to leave them spending the rest of their days hoping for the chance that I'll return one day. If I'm dead, they need to know that."

Rumplestilskin tilted his head, peering into the girl's grey eyes. Even after spending this time with her, Rumple couldn't help admit that she still managed to surprise him.

"You have my word" He replied, with a small bow. "Now let's go in and see what you're really made of, dearie!"

Lightening the mood with a roll of her eyes, Eve stepped to Rumple's side and together they entered the cave. The entrance itself was a mere 8 ft high, but only after several minutes of walking among the walls, the cave opened into a gigantic cavern with a ceiling so high that it was hidden from darkness. At the bottom of the cavern there was a small lagoon that seemed to glow in the darkness...a darkness that Eve only realised in that moment.

"How can we see so clearly right now? It's as clear as day but at the same time...I'm aware that we're in complete darkness." Eve asked under her breath, fearful of the beast hearing them.

"Don't you just love magic?" Rumple whispered back, somehow managing to sound deliriously excited in hushed tones.

"Now then, time to wake the beast and get the party STARTED!"

Rumple's shout began to ring through the entire cavern in a series of thundering echoes, and Eve was about to open her mouth to question Rumple's yell, but she was cut off by the blood-curdling roar.

"Rumple..." Eve yelled over the sound, but when she looked over her shoulder, Rumple was nowhere to be found.

"You're on your own dearie! Time to show yourself what you're made of!"

Rumple's voice echoed so badly throughout the cavern, it was impossible to find the source of the sound. Eve had no choice, she was on her own.

Running forward, Eve made her way deeper into the cavern and soon realised that before the lagoon came a maze-like series of jutting boulders at the cavern's bed. As she continued to run through the maze, something in Eve told her that she should make her to the lagoon as fast as her legs could carry her.

After several moments of running, Eve was beginning to wonder when she'd actually see the beast; just as she saw a flash of white fur in the corner of her eye. The sight of it sent a new rush of adrenaline through Eve's veins as she continued running – sure that the beast was running parallel alongside her. With a deep breath, she skidded to a halt and as she did so, thrust out her palms and an invisible force smashed through the boulders, and into the beast itself.

Stealing a glance at the large mass of white fur as it cried out in pain, Eve continued running through the maze with the nagging feeling that the lagoon was her destination.

As minutes went by, Eve felt her lungs tire and her legs ache, and she stopped; sure that she was several seconds ahead of the beast judging by the un-timed pounding of its paws against the cavern bed. This told her that she definitely injured it.

Continuing the marathon once again, Eve leaped through the maze until suddenly she felt a shadow over head and watched as the white beast landed in front of her. The creature stood on four massive trunks of white fur with claws that she didn't need to touch to know how deadly they were. It had a long slender snout and a set of teeth that consisted of a range of swords to daggers. It's eyes were the deepest black, standing out against the white body.

Eve had no choice but to come to a halt before the beast, and it let out a roar to announce its triumph to the caves. Taking a few steps backwards, Eve held eye contact with the creature as it waited for her to start running again; knowing that it craved the chase. With a moment to gather herself, Eve stopped pacing and raised her hand out in front her, directly at the beasts head as it began snapping its mouth open and shut. Channeling the magic up through her arm and into the palm of her hand, she pushed at the air and-

Nothing happened.

"Huh?" Eve frowned, looking up at the beast horrified as it took a step towards her.

And then it hit her, the lagoon. Whatever was in that lagoon was going to help her kill the creature.

With a deep breath, Eve ran towards instead of away from the beast; catching it off its guard long enough to sprint safely between its legs. She didn't look back as the beast wailed with anger and proceeded to run after her.

Eve knew that it would only take a matter of seconds for the beast to catch up to her, judging by how tired she felt already. Chancing her arm...literally, Eve pushed her palms towards the ground and successfully leapt into the air – covering much more ground as well as getting a decent view of the lagoon up ahead. It took five jumps before she was at the water's edge and the beast appeared a full 30 seconds after her.

Not completely understanding the purpose of the lagoon, Eve hesitantly waded through the water until it reached her knees and to her surprise, she saw the beast growling at the waves threatening to splash against its gigantic paws. Whatever was in that lagoon, the beast was afraid of it.

Without wasting another moment, Eve gathered an orb of the lagoon's water that was big enough to cover the beast completely. Throwing both her arms outwards, the water crashed into the beast and the creature's cries began to shake through the cavern as its furry body began to dissolve. By the time Eve had waded back onto dry land, all that remained of the beast were a few white hairs in a very large puddle.

"Now that," Rumple appeared several feet in front of her "was quite the show, dearie!"

Eve folded her arms across her chest and walked past him in the direction of the cavern exit without saying a word.

"Problem?"

"You failed to mention the part where the beast was impervious to magic; the very thing that you told me only moments beforehand was what I'd use to crush it" Eve replied evenly, continuing to walk until Rumple suddenly appeared in front of her.

"And I didn't lie to you, dearie" He waved his hands in front of her. "Magic can come in many forms...including magical instinct and sheer intellect!"

Eve opened her mouth to reply but the flash of white fur cut her off.

"Look out!" She cried, shoving Rumple out of harm's way without hesitation.

Unfortunately, the beast still made contact as Eve felt a giant claw slash across her right side; slicing through a section of her cheek, neck, shoulder and collarbone. However, with adrenaline delaying the oncoming pain; Eve flipped onto her back and jumped to her feet. Just as she was about to attack, she felt a shadow cast over her and watched in confusion as a giant orb of water drenched the creature standing only yards away. She leapt backwards and watched the creature reduce to a puddle.

After a moment of silence, Eve turned around to search for any sight of Rumple but to no avail; until he appeared behind her and walked to her side.

"I took the liberty of searching the cavern. I can assure you that there's no more..." Rumple trailed off at the sight of Eve.

"Huh" Eve managed, and then her legs gave out.

Before she fell to the ground, Rumple caught her by the waist. He proceeded to lift her into his arms and began walking as Eve's skin began to burn. She did her best not to cry out and managed to minimise it to a groan. Whatever was coating those claws, it definitely didn't bode well for her and she knew that.

"Well this is just typical" Eve breathed a shaky laugh through clenched teeth. "I slay my first magical beast, only to die minutes later."

"Yes, yes, now stay still, dearie" Rumple replied coolly as he lowered Eve to the ground where she could sit with her back against a boulder at the lagoon's edge.

"Excuse me" He murmured after a moment and proceeded to tear away Eve's cloak and shirt, exposing her in a skimpy under vest that was now soaked with blood.

Struggling to breathe, Eve did her best to watch Rumple as he produced an empty wooden bowl, and a clean rag. With a flick of his wrist, an orb of lagoon water floated into the bowl in which Rumple dipped the rag into.

"Apologies, I didn't know" Rumple said quietly, as he brought the rag to the wound on her shoulder.

"Didn't know what?" Eve asked, biting her lip in reaction to the pain.

"That there was more than one of them down here."

Eve saw anger flash in his eyes as she felt the wound on her shoulder begin to heal rapidly.

"Very unlike you...to miss information like...like that" She commented shakily as Rumple started on her neck.

"Oh believe me, I know, which is why a certain village will be burned to the ground very shortly." He replied with a devilish grin and a vengeful look in his eye.

The two of them sat in silence for a few moments as Rumple finished healing the neck, shoulder and collar bone wounds. It was only when he started healing her cheek that Eve started to feel the atmosphere change.

"Why did you try to save me?" He asked softly as he dipped the bloodied rag into the last of the lagoon water.

"In hindsight, I realise that you would've survived that pretty easily..." Eve admitted sheepishly, preparing for a lecture.

Rumple paused, and looked Eve square in the eye. "That doesn't answer the question, dearie."

Eve looked down, feeling slightly breathless as she felt the last of the wounds begin to heal.

"I guess I just have heroic reflexes...I didn't even think about it."

Without reply, Rumplestilskin stood to his feet and then bent down to help Eve stand on shaky legs.

"Well, reflexes like that will get you killed in no time dearie" Rumple murmured sternly as the purple smoke enveloped them.

Instantly, the smoke cleared and they were standing in the usual spot of the forest. Eve leaned away from Rumple and used the nearest tree to support herself, creating a much-needed distance between them.

"I'll bear that in mind next time..." Eve replied, and then looked up at Rumple. "...If there is going to be a next time, that is?"

Rumple folded his arms across his chest and tilted his head to the side with a quizzical expression. "You think I want to end the lessons?"

"Don't you?" Eve frowned in confusion.

Finally returning back to his usual self, a giggle erupted from Rumple's throat. "Not for a moment, dearie."

"Oh" Eve couldn't help smiling. "Good."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: The third chapter!**

The next morning, Eve woke up to sound of her mother's cry.

Flinging herself from the bed, Eve sprinted through the cottage and leapt out the front door; skidding to a halt at the sight of the Royal soldiers.

"Mother?!" Eve ran to her mother's side and helped her to her feet, disregarding the knights that sat on top of their decorated horses.

"It's alright, Eve, I just got a fright. I'm alright." Her mother assured her, shrugging away from her daughter's hold.

"We're sorry to have startled you, Ma'am, but we are here to deliver news of your husband." A knight spoke, his voice echoing underneath the metal of his helmet.

Eve felt her stomach drop and her heart began to pound. No news was ever worth the knights' travel unless it was bad news...

"Yes?" Her mother gazed up at the knights as she grasped at Eve's hand.

"I regret to inform you that your husband has died in battle."

Eve felt her mother collapse to the ground beside her, and began to sob. Eve, however, stared up at the knights with wild eyes.

"That's impossible...My father was stationed at the fortress just beyond the mountain border?"

"I'm afraid that our enemies have advanced more so than we ever thought possible, Ma'am. None of us could have foreseen it."

Without another word, the knights turned and rode down the hill out of sight, leaving Eve to sit with her mother as she cried out into the morning air.

"You're late."

"I know" Eve replied quietly as she approached their usual meeting spot beside the brook.

Rumple suddenly appeared before her, but Eve kept her eyes cast down to the ground.

"You're particularly gloomy today." He observed scathingly, with a hint of tease to his voice.

"Indeed. What are we learning today?" Eve asked, getting off topic bluntly and firmly.

Rumple remained silent for a moment more, observing her as she walked past him and leaned against a tree with her arms crossed. When she finally looked up at him intently awaiting his answer, he decided that he didn't want to pry.

"I thought we'd focus on elemental again today." Rumple answered with a flourish. He waved a hand through the air and a large boulder appeared several meters away from where Eve stood.

"A rock?" Eve asked, "That's my target?"

"Indeed. Using elemental magic only; you must turn this boulder into dust. Are you ready dearie?"

Eve gave him a single nod before standing up straight away from the tree with her feet slightly apart; waiting for Rumple's first command.

"Air" He ordered with a smile.

Eve thought for a moment, observing the boulder and visualising it from all sides. She could fling air and the boulder would surely topple over, but her objective was to turn it to dust. When she realised what she had to do, she raised both hands out in front of her and concentrated. In her mind, she visualised a wall of air on each side of the boulder, and then imagined these walls coming closer and closer together, despite the obstructing boulder. Within ten seconds, the boulder was nothing but a pile of rubble on the ground and Eve had barely broken a sweat.

"Wonderful!" Rumple clapped his hand enthusiastically, with an identical boulder appearing. "Now...Water"

Again, Eve took a moment to construct her plan of action. The brook that ran through their small training spot had a sizable amount of water, but not enough to create a big enough wave that would crush the boulder with sheer weight. Instead, she raised a hand in the air and drew the water from the brook through the air until it surrounded every surface of the boulder. With a slow turn of her wrist, the boulder looked as if it was absorbing the water as easily as a sponge, all the while making a rumbling sound. Within seconds, the boulder fell to dust in a small pool on the ground.

"Subtle, I like it" Rumple approved with song, making the boulder reassemble itself once again. "Now show me some fire"

Eve didn't even think about it. Flinging her arms forward, Eve poured her energy into her hands and along with it; her rage. All the anger she felt for her father's death had been building up inside of her. What good was her magic when she couldn't protect her own family?

"Careful dearie" Rumple chimed in the background. "Heat it too fast and you're going to..."

But Eve wasn't listening; she was consumed with the task of tearing the rock apart. There was a part of her brain that knew heating the boulder too rapidly would cause it to explode, but that rationalisation was suffocated by her frustration. She clenched her jaw and poured even more energy into her arms, watching the rock begin to glow a furious orange.

"Dearie?" Rumple spoke calmly in the background; no song in his voice this time. "EVE!"

In a split second, Eve saw the boulder explode before her in slow motion as she was thrown backwards through the air. It was only when she hit the ground that she felt the dozens of pieces of rock sticking into her hands, arms, shoulder and chest. The pain was excruciating, but all Eve did was stare up through the forest trees as smoke twirled upwards towards the grey sky.

"What exactly are you playing at?!" Rumple bellowed, coming into view as he stood over her.

Eve glanced at him, his face full of a rage she had never seen. However, the murderous look in his eye immediately softened when he saw her injuries. He fell to the ground beside her and she felt the tiny pieces of jagged rock dislodge themselves from her skin; the sensation caused her to cry out in pain. When she managed to compose herself, she remained still and looked back up at the sky; all the while sensing the purple glow emanating from Rumple's palms as he healed her wounds. He was finished in a matter of seconds, and once the pain was gone, Eve sat upright with an expressionless face.

"Whatever little argument you had on that bloody farm today; you DON'T introduce the emotions to magic! You were told how dangerous that is for a sorcerer like you!" Rumple hissed, pointed a finger accusingly.

"My father died."

Eve dragged her gaze to meet to Rumple's eyes. It took him a moment to comprehend her calm explanation.

"You what?" He asked doubtfully.

"He's dead." Eve repeated, holding his gaze with a glassy look in her eyes.

For a moment, Eve let herself feel genuinely surprised by the sympathy in Rumple's eyes. A flash of emotion in his eyes made her think that he honestly felt sad for her. The sight caused a wave of new pain to wash through Eve, and she jumped to her feet suddenly; walking away from Rumple and towards the remains of the boulder.

The ground was burned in several places, and the only evidence of a boulder existing was in the small chunks of blackened rock scattered over the forest floor. With a deep breath, Eve closed her eyes and visualised the reconstruction of the boulder; making a point of letting her energy emanate through her body as she did so. After hearing slight movement; Eve opened her eyes several minutes later to find a slightly smaller, crispier version of her boulder.

"Not bad" Rumple's soft voice came from her side.

Eve shrugged her shoulders; keeping her eyes cast down on the boulder. It was only when she felt Rumple's hand brush against her own that she looked at him; not caring that there were tears in her eyes.

"What good am I if I can't protect the people I love?" She murmured, looking directly into his golden eyes as he took her hand in his.

"Speaking from experience" Rumple replied sadly, bringing her hand in level with his chest. "Not much at all."

"You understand the frustration...Don't you?" Eve looked down at their entwined hands.

"All too well, dearie. All too well." He replied softly, and planted a kiss on the top of her hand.

A tear escaped from the corner of Eve's eye, but before she could wipe it away; Rumple did it for her. His palm remained against her cheek for a moment and she suddenly became very aware of how little distance there was between them.

"You can't let your emotions taint your magic, Eve." He spoke softly, looking so intensely into her eyes that she looked down at the ground between them.

"It won't happen again." She replied solemnly.

Another tear escaped her eye and Eve felt compelled to step away from Rumple and wipe away her tears affirmatively. She turned her back on him and walked several paces until she could lean against a large rock and stare at the brook with her arms crossed along her chest. After a moment, she lifted a hand slightly and began to swirl small streams of the brook's water through the air; the sensation calming her considerably.

"I don't want to quit the lessons..." Eve explained after several seconds of silence, as she continued to twirl the water through the air.

"I know." Rumple replied, appearing on the opposite side of the brook; gazing up at Eve's work.

"I just need a few days to get things in order...Sort everyone out, that kind of thing." She continued in a soft murmur, as she began to weave the streams of water together.

"As you wish."

Eve's mother was a strong woman, and the death of her father only proved that fact. After three days of mourning, Eve's mother returned to the market place and felt comfortable with leaving Eve and her two brothers on the farm to work. The three of them worked from sunrise into the early morning, as work was their way of exercising their frustration and pain.

However, grieving wasn't so simple for Eve as it was for the rest of her remaining family. In the last couple of days, she had been experiences moments of pure rage and frustration, which made it difficult for her to contain her magic. A week had passed before one of her episodes resulted in a small fire on the outskirts of the wheat field, and it was on that occasion that Eve decided she needed to return to her lessons with Rumplestilskin. She needed to learn how to separate her magic from her emotions before she hurt someone, or something.

One night, instead of tossing and turning in bed, Eve decided to sneak out of the house and head into the woods. She used magic to allow herself night vision, knowing that a lantern would be too easy to spot in the dark forest. Within the hour, she arrived at her spot beside the brook.

"Back again already?" Rumple's voice called through the darkness.

"I need to learn how to control myself before I set fire to the entire farm." Eve replied blindly to the darkness.

"Ah yes, that was quite the close call yesterday wasn't it?"

"You were watching me?" Eve raised an eyebrow, turning 360 degrees in an attempt to spot Rumple among the shadows.

"Just taking precautions, dearie"

The voice was clearer and much closer, and Eve turned around to find Rumplestilskin standing just several feet away from her dressed in a long cloak.

"You're looking particularly shady tonight" Eve murmured, observing him with a tilted head.

"And you're looking particularly...tired." Rumple replied swiftly, tilting his own head to the side as he took several steps towards her.

"Yeah well I can't sleep." Eve shrugged, looking into Rumple's glowing eyes. The sight of him made her realise that she had genuinely missed his company in the past week.

"Fair enough, dearie, if you feel like this is the best thing" Rumple replied with a flurry of hands.

"Let's get started then, shall we?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: For those of you who read this story almost as soon as it was initially posted, I'm so sorry! A kind reader let me know I had repeated a chapter, and therefore left out a different one - completely messing up the order of events! I'm brand new to the website, that's the only valid excuse I have! I'm currently fixing this, and re-posting the chapters I deleted. Thanks to the reader for letting me know about the mistake!**

"Ow!" Eve cursed under her breath as a piece of broken tree lodged itself into her knuckle.

For last couple of lessons, Rumple had been teaching Eve how to use air as armour around her body. Today, she was using said armour to strengthen her combatant skills, which so far only consisted of breaking trees apart.

"You're getting better..." Rumple offered, striding towards her.

"Mmm" Eve grumbled in response as Rumple gently took her hand in his.

His free hand began to glow and he was about to begin healing the wound until Eve spoke.

"Wait...Can I try to do it?" She asked, grimacing slightly as she looked up at Rumple's mildly surprised expression.

"I don't think you're quite there yet dear, but if you want to give it a go; I'm not stopping you." He replied after a moment, taking a step back and giggling to himself.

"Is there a knack to it or..." Eve began, but Rumple folded his arms defensively.

"I'm going to leave you with your instincts on this one, Dearie." He answered with a grin.

Shooting Rumple a weak glare; Eve glanced down at her injured hand as blood continued to ooze out of the broken bark piece lodged into her knuckle. Eve stared at the injury for over a minute as she racked her brains for a logical train of thought that would lead to her hand healing itself. Finally, she decided that the concept of weaving a stitch would be the best way of thinking about.

First, she pulled the bark out of her hand, which caused the blood to start pouring out of the wound. Doing her best not to appear panicked; Eve took a deep breath and began to wave her free hand over the injured one. She pictured her flesh and bone weaving itself back together. For a brief moment, she thought that it wasn't working until her hand started to glow gold and she watched in mild surprise as her wound healed and the pain disappeared.

Not bothering to hide her satisfaction, Eve looked up at Rumplestilskin; who was already giggling with glee.

"Not bad for first time..." Eve breathed, and suddenly; the world turned dark as she crashed to the forest floor.

"What...?" Eve murmured, opening her eyes to find the tree tops directly across from her.

"Well that was dramatic" Rumple mused, and Eve found him leaning against a rock near where she lay.

Eve sat up and checked her surroundings. Judging by how the lighting hadn't changed, she figured she was only unconscious for a couple of minutes at the most.

"Why did I faint?" She asked, slightly annoyed with herself as she staggered to her feet.

"You were bound to have a few crutches; healing is apparently one of them...For the time being anyway." Rumple replied in a mild tone.

"Well that's just fantastic" Eve glowered. She hated appearing fragile in front of Rumplestilskin.

"Now now, dearie; don't fret. You managed to successfully heal yourself without any instruction or advice, and manage to pass out for no more than ten minutes. I wouldn't call that a defeat by any means."

"You wouldn't?" Eve arched an eyebrow doubtfully as she inspected her newly healed hand.

"It takes the average magic wielder years of training to master the trick. Judging by your first try alone, I reckon you could do that within a couple of months at the most."

"Huh..." Eve replied thoughtfully, feeling slightly more accomplished.

"Just be sure to avoid practising that particular trick outside of lesson hours. I doubt you want to give your family a heart attack when you collapse in the field one day."

"Not particularly..." Eve agreed, frowning at the thought. "Speaking of though, I should probably return."

"Indeed. We'll pick up from here tomorrow." Rumple nodded with a wicked grin, and Eve began to walk away.

"Before you go..." Rumple called, and Eve came to a stop before turning back to face him.

"Where exactly do your family think you go when you come to these lessons?"

Eve rolled her eyes, feeling her cheeks blushing slightly. "They've gotten the idea that I'm being courted by a mystery man."

It was Eve's turn to giggle when she saw Rumple's reaction; a face of mild horror and embarrassment. Still grinning; she began to walk away once again.

"See you tomorrow Rumplestilskin!" She called over her shoulder, sure that Rumple was still standing there in mild shock.

"Eve...?!"

Eve stood up straight and glanced across the field to see her younger brother waving for her attention. When he motioned for her to come to the house, Eve took off in a sprint through the wheat field.

"What...What is it Tomas?" Eve breathed, reaching the entrance of the cottage.

"Mother's inside...with a letter from the army." Her brother replied, and with that, the two of them stepped inside.

Eve's mother was sitting at the small wooden table beside Eve's youngest brother, Edwin. Her mother was glancing over the letter in her trembling hands; the memories of her late husband no doubt resurfacing.

"Eve, my love...Can you read this to me?" The woman looked up at her daughter with glassy eyes.

"Of course, Mother." Eve replied shakily. Being the only one in the family who could read, besides her dead father, Eve was nervous to be the first to read the letter.

Several moments of silence went by before Eve looked up from the parchment with a placid expression.

"The war is coming to a temporary truce in order to clear the injured and honour the dead. One of us is invited to travel to the mountain border and collect Father's things, as well as a memorial gift. If no one claims it, the army will burn it all."

"The mountain border?!" Edwin mused in disbelief. "That's days away!"

"Men in the market place have been speculating about a temporary truce for weeks!" Tomas added thoughtfully.

"I'll go"

The chatter ceased abruptly as all heads turned back to Eve.

"You what?" Eve's mother frowned.

"Think about it, Mother. Tomas and Edwin are needed on the farm far more than I ever could be...And we can't allow you to go out on a four day trek alone." Eve reasoned calmly.

"But then you can come with me...?" Mother suggested hopefully, but Eve shook her head.

"The letter insists that only one member from each family is present. With all the death and bloodshed, there are too many families to allow more than one person into their fortresses." Eve explained firmly.

"Eve, you're just a girl" Tomas spoke up, looking at her with big eyes.

He may only be fifteen, but Tomas still felt obligated to look after his sister ten years his senior.

"While that is quite true, Tomas, I can look after myself. I'm good at staying hidden. I can take the quieter trails through the woods and avoid as many roads as possible. With any luck, I can avoid people all together."

"Eve..." Mother began, but Eve rested her hands on the woman's shoulders.

"I wouldn't volunteer to go if there was a better way, Mother. Someone needs to bring our father's things home and represent his memory." Eve insisted earnestly.

The two women locked eyes and several moments passed, with the two brothers eagerly waiting their mother's decision.

"Very well" She answered finally and the tension in the room un-winded. "But you make sure that you come back to me, you hear me girl?"

Eve smiled slightly at her weary mother's face. "Always, Mother."

"Rumplestilskin!" Eve spoke softly, but firmly, into the evening air.

She was dressed in a grey travelling cloak with her sack strapped against her back. She has departed from the cottage only half an hour ago, but she knew that she had to let Rumple know before she started her long journey.

"You're a bit early, aren't you?" Rumple appeared leaning against a tree several feet in front of her.

"I have news" Eve replied apologetically.

Rumple gave her a look from head-to-toe and heaved a sigh. "Where are you off to then, Dearie?"

"The mountain border. There's a temporary truce, and the army is letting families collect belongings of the injured and deceased soldiers."

"I see...And you want a lift, do you?" Rumple raised an eyebrow, motioning to take her hand.

"No!" Eve insisted, taking a step back. "No...thank you. While it's going to be a long journey on foot, I...I need to get away. The walk will do me more good than bad."

Rumple tilted his head to the side and stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Is that so? You understand that the world's no place for a young woman to be walking the roads alone for such a long journey?"

Eve smirked at him. "I'm well aware so it's a good thing that I can defend myself, isn't it?"

"Indeed it is" Rumple giggled, clasping his hands together with gusto.

"I've already said my goodbyes to my family. I'm heading out now...If you want to take a few days off from teaching, this would be a better time than any?" Eve offered shyly.

Rumple began pacing circles around her. "I'll see, Dearie. I might be incredibly busy elsewhere if you're skipping lessons..."

"But then again" He suddenly appeared in front of Eve, and she fought the urge to jump back in fright. "I might pop in; see how you're getting on."

"As you wish, Dark One" Eve bowed mockingly, and a giggle erupted from Rumple's golden lips.

"Try not to get into too much trouble, Dearie. I won't be around to clean your wounds and finish your battles on this journey."

Eve arched an eyebrow. "Because you've been doing a lot of that recently, have you? But yes, Rumplestilskin, I'll keep that in mind when I run into dragon's cave or an ogre's castle."

"Ta-ta, Dearie!" Rumple laughed, and he disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke before Eve could so much as smile farewell.

Two days of walking went by and Eve had yet to come into contact with anyone; which was more than ideal. She had done exactly as she had planned, which was to keep off the main roads and travel through forest trails instead. Sure, she had her magic if it came to defending herself, but Eve took a mental note of how Rumplestilskin had yet to carry out a lesson publically, or even so much as involving another party. Of course, Eve recognised that this was probably because Rumple wanted to be the only influence on her power, but she also understood that the less people knew about her magic; the safer she was.

With no more than a day and half's walk left to go, evening was beginning to fall on the third day before Eve was finally found. She had been walking through a particularly dense part of the forest trail, with the nearest town being over 6 hours' walk away, when she came across the elderly woman leaning against the trunk of a fallen tree. The woman was wearing a ragged cloak over expensive-looking skirts, and her silver hair was frazzled as if she had been involved in a scuffle only moments ago. When Eve found her leaning against the tree, the woman was clutching at her right ankle and whimpering.

"Oh" Eve came to a stop, cursing herself for looking up from the ground too late.

"Please!" The woman jumped, shielding her face in fear. "Please don't hurt me! You've taken everything already!"

"What?" Eve frowned, taking a couple of steps forward. "No, miss, I'm not a thief! I'm not going to hurt you either. See? I'm just a girl."

The elderly woman peered through her hands and observed Eve for a moment before she finally lowered her arms.

"What happened to you?" Eve asked, taking another step towards her.

"I was trying to find my lost goat in the woods, when a bunch of...a bunch of criminals attacked me and robbed me of all my belongings!" The woman sobbed against the tree, clutching her ankle again.

"Why are you out here all by yourself?!" Eve exclaimed, looking down at the woman's injury. "The nearest town is miles away. Did you come looking for your goat with anyone else?"

The woman shook her head sadly. "I'm alone. I have no siblings. My husband died before we could have any children."

Eve felt slightly awkward in that moment, but she knew that she was losing daylight. She also had a bad feeling growing in the pit of her stomach, and she knew that she needed to get away from this woman.

"Miss, on any other occasion I would gladly help you return to town, but I'm actually on a tight schedule. I have something very, very important to do, and I can't afford a detour. But I wish you the best of luck, Miss."

Eve began to walk past her, and she thought that she was in the clear until the woman called her again.

"Are you married, girl?" The elderly woman asked with big eyes.

Eve frowned at the random question. "Em, no. Never have been; not close to it either. Why do you ask, Miss?"

In response, the woman's eyes darkened and she pushed herself off the tree trunk; clearly uninjured.

"Virgin!" She exclaimed with a wicked grin. "Just. My. Type."

Eve frowned in confusion and watched in slow motion as the woman flew her arms out and Eve felt herself fly through the air. She landed against a tree with a force that knocked the air out of her lungs, and she sunk to the ground gasping for breath.

"What the...?" Eve tried to protest, but the woman drove Eve into another tree.

Dazed and seeing stars, Eve watched through a half-open eye to see the elderly woman stalking towards her. The look on her haggard face was enough to make Eve motivated enough to defend herself.

With a groan of effort, Eve staggered to her feet and was just in time to deflect another of the woman's assaults. The elderly woman frowned, and proceeded to chuckle.

"Oh! Someone's been doing a bit of magic of their own, have they? Judging by your age, you can't be practising for more than a couple of years, correct? Such a shame you won't have time to master such skill!" The woman jeered, and Eve sighed deeply.

"Look, I'm going to give you one chance to just walk away and pray on another poor soul. I wasn't lying; I have somewhere I need to be." Eve stated, looking into the woman's eyes with a deadpan expression.

But the woman only cackled. "I like your spirit, girl, however delusional it may be. I've been a practising witch for over 70 years. You don't stand a chance!"

With that statement, the woman threw another forceful blast from the side, but Eve deflected it with little effort. This woman was pissing her off and Eve begrudgingly decided that she was going to have to fight this crazy stranger. Well, so much for staying out of trouble.

The woman had let out a defiant shriek when Eve effortlessly defended the attack, but her cry was cut off when Eve threw a blast of her own energy, which hit the woman square in the chest and sent her flying so fast through the air; that when she finally hit a tree, the trunk gave way slightly.

"You little whore!" The woman grunted, standing to her feet faster than Eve anticipated.

A blue glow began to encircle both of the woman's fists, and before Eve could guess what could happen; the woman flung her arms forward and blue shadows darted towards Eve at lightning speed. Eve managed to dodge the worst of it, but the shadows that came into contact with her right forearm split the skin open and blood began to pour from the sliced wound. The action caused Eve to become angry.

"Right then, it's your funeral." Eve muttered, and with that; she threw a giant orb of golden light in the woman's direction.

Once the orb connected with the woman's person, her entire body was instantly covered in the dust-like glow. She was completely frozen, but guttural sounds began to erupt from her semi-open frozen lips. Eve took several steps towards her, all the while keeping both palms open and facing the woman's frozen stature.

"I warned you. This isn't what I wanted, but you leave me no choice." Eve explained with a tight frown, before bawling her hands into fists.

With the movement, the orb surrounding the woman began to implode, and with it; so did the woman herself. The sound of bones crumbling and organs bursting made Eve feel nauseated for several minutes after it was over.

While Eve regained her composure, the pile of blood and crushed bones suddenly caught fire and a wailing-like sound rang through the trees. For a small fire, the smoke with it began to climb further and further into the sky until it was several metres above the tree line. It began to glow a bright red colour and Eve took off in a sprint. She really didn't want to hang around for an explanation to the creepy light show.

Eventually, Eve stopped running as night fell on the woodland. She knew better than to light herself a lantern when she knew that there were probably others in this forest. To be safe, she found a suitable tree to climb up into where there was a sizeable fork in the branches to rest in. As she drifted off to sleep, the idea of calling Rumplestilskin crossed her mind; but Eve decided that the Dark One would have better things to do than be her knight in shining armour.


	5. Chapter 5

As night faded into morning, Eve woke in the early hours and wasted no time. She was packed within minutes and was on solid ground again, making sure to be light and silent on her feet and she made her way through the woodland. Several hours passed by, and Eve was genuinely starting to believe that she was out of the forest crawling with strange witches searching for virgins.

As the sun was beginning to come up, Eve found herself in the middle of a sizeable clearing. She cursed herself for not being aware enough to walk along the edges, as she was considerable exposed at all sides. Still feeling paranoid, she quickened her pace towards the tree line. She was several metres away from the first line of trees when something in the pit of her stomach caused her to come to a halt. As ridiculous as it may have seemed to her, Eve felt at least a dozen pair of eyes watching her throughout the entire edging of the clearing.

"Did you really think that you were in the clear, girl?"

Eve grimaced and slowly turned around to find at least five similar-looking elderly woman standing several metres behind her. They wore the same outfits as the crazy woman Eve has encountered yesterday evening, and appeared to be in the same age group too.

"Morning." Eve muttered dryly, her heart rate increasing as she saw more and more woman emerge from the trees.

"Morning?! That's all you have to say for yourself?!" The leader of the group cried in a shrill voice. "You killed- No; destroyed our sister!"

"I gave her fair warning" Eve explained bluntly, successfully keeping her composure.

"YOU HAD NO RIGHT!" The woman howled, and her rage seemed to spur on the rest of the coven's eyes to glow.

"She tried to kill me! It's not my fault that she picked the wrong girl!" Eve yelled back, positioning herself into a fighting stance.

"You're going to pay for your crime, you little whore!" The leader hissed and with that, she hurled a swirl of blue smoke.

Without blinking, Eve deflected the assault and didn't waste any time before throwing her own orb of golden light into the woman's chest; sending her flying backwards and skidding to a muddy halt on the ground. With a growl, the woman sat up and glared at Eve manically.

"Sisters! KILL HER!" She cried as she stood to her feet.

There was a brief moment of silence, and Eve took a chance to swallow on a dry throat. There were at least twenty witches surrounding her, and Eve knew in herself that she hadn't experienced anything like this in her training yet.

From the corner of her eye, Eve saw the first stream of blue smoke coming for her so without hesitation; she ducked and watched it sail over her head and fade out in the trees. Two more blue streams hurtled towards her and she managed to deflect both with wind manipulation. However, she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder and quickly realised that she had been hit.

As she felt a warm stream of blood begin to trickle down her back, Eve growled and threw her arms out and released a large cloud of fire at all sides. She smiled briefly at the sounds of women screaming in pain, but the moment was short lived when she was forced the duck and roll before being hit in the face with more blue smoke. Her shoulder wound was too deep to ignore, and so with another wall of fire surrounding her, she did her best to seal the wound with her magic despite knowing how costly it could be on her strength.

As soon as the wound was sealed, Eve released her hold on the wall of fire and sent it flying outwards, which pushed the witches further away from her at all sides. She proceeded to manipulate the wind to protect her from every angle, deflecting the smoke as effectively as she could which meant sending the smoke slamming into another witch. In these short minutes of successful defence, Eve thought hard about her plan of action. While she knew in herself that she was capable of great things, she knew that there was a strong possibility that she wasn't going to make it out alive. The image of her family intruded her mind, and panic began to fasten her breathing.

Combining her control over both wind and the earth, Eve uprooted several trees on the edging of the clearing and sent them hurtling on top of as many witches as she could manage. This process was tiring in itself, but Eve had also made herself vulnerable for further blue shadow attacks. By the time the last tree had crashed into the ground, Eve had wound on her torso and deep lacerations on both legs.

She fell to her knees and brought up another fire wall, which was much smaller than the last. She prioritised her torso, and sealed it completely. Without delay, she clamped both hands on her legs and let out a cry of effort as she healed the lacerations as best as she could. However, as soon as the last tendon sewed itself together, Eve couldn't hold the fire wall another moment and another wave of blue smoke descended.

Instinctively, she threw her hands up to protect herself with a small wall of wind but despite her efforts; a couple of streams got through and sliced her right forearm and her left wrist. Eve screamed in both frustration and fear as blood dripped onto the forest ground at a steady pace. She looked up and noticed that there were less than ten witches left standing; but even then, Eve was pretty sure that she was going to die.

"Rumplestilskin!" Eve cried, as she threw a stream of fire at the closest witch.

"Rumplestilskin!" Eve cried again, her voice becoming thick with panic as she deflected another swirl of smoke from where she knelt.

"Who is she calling for?" One of the witches wondered aloud.

Eve screamed in frustration and sent the witch off her feet, without causing any real injury. The other witches responded by throwing their own blast of wind at Eve and she was knocked to the ground on her side.

"Rumplestilskin!" Eve shouted into the dirt as she struggled to sit up.

She weakly clung onto her bleeding wrist and tried her best to seal the wound, but she was interrupted when forced to deflect another attack.

"It's over, little girl" A witch hissed.

The jeering sent a feeling of rage through Eve and without warning, a wave of golden light pulsated from her body, and every surviving witch was knocked off her feet. The unintended use of magic only tired Eve out more, and she slumped to the ground.

"Rumple..." She mumbled as she dragged her hand across the ground in attempt to grab onto her bleeding wrist.

"Rumple" Eve continued to whisper, over and over again as the darkness began to appear on the outskirts of her vision.

Rumplestilskin emerged from the purple smoke with his arms folded and ready to shake his head at Eve disapprovingly. However, the sight before him wiped the small smirk off his face and his eyes widened slightly.

The clearing in which he was standing in was littered with uprooted trees and scattered with broken bodies. There were masses of burnt grass that was still smoking slightly. Rumple quickly decided that he was arriving to the tail end of a battle.

Taking longer than probably necessary, Rumple turned his attention to the few people standing, who had yet to notice his presence. They were dressed in similar ragged cloaks and were edging closer towards something, or someone. Due to the fact that Eve wasn't in his immediate sight, Rumplestilskin guessed that Eve was the someone who the remaining group were circling.

"It's over, little girl" One of the women jeered and Rumple growled, taking a step towards the unknowing group of assailants.

He was stopped however, when he heard Eve cry out and a wave of golden light shimmered through the clearing. The women were immediately thrown off their feet, and even Rumplestilskin himself staggered several steps before regaining his balance.

Now that the women were out of his way, Rumple could see Eve curled up in a pool of bloodied grass and dirt. He appeared by her side a second later, but she was already unconscious. The sight of her wounds made Rumple see red, and he turned his head with a look of fury as he prepared to set alight to the remaining women. However, to his surprise and mild horror, these women were dead – Eve's wave of golden energy had killed them instantly. If he wasn't the Dark One, Rumple was more than sure that he would be dead too. Turning his attention back to Eve, Rumple pulled her into his lap and healed all of Eve's visible wounds. Once he was sure that she was no longer in immediate danger of bleeding out, they disappeared together in the purple smoke.

Eve woke up slowly, turning her head from one side to the other as she observed her strange surroundings. She was lying in a bed worthy of a king, in a chamber that could only belong to royalty. The confusion in her mind cleared suddenly, and she shot up in the bed with the irrational fear that another witch would attack her. The sudden movement made Eve realise how exhausted she was, and that every bone and muscle was aching.

Nevertheless, Eve slipped out of the bed and landed on the cold stone ground. She found herself dressed in a simple nightgown, and glanced around the room quickly before finding her own clothes in a neat pile; without a bloodstain or rip in sight. She dressed herself quickly and walked up to the only door in the room, pressing her ear against the wood in an attempt to listen out for any guards.

However something on the floor directly below her caught her eye and Eve noticed a single straw of gold disappearing under the door. Relaxing, Eve stood up straight and breathed a sigh of relief. Wherever she was, it belonged to Rumplestilskin. She was safe.

Turning the black metal latch, Eve opened the wooden door and stepped into a long stone corridor. She followed the gold straw all the way down the corridor until it disappeared down a spiralling staircase. The straw led her into a grand lobby, where she passed a very large set of double doors that must have been the entrance to Rumplestilskin's castle. The straw continued underneath a set of smaller, yet still sizeable set of double doors directly opposite the entrance. Taking a moment to gather herself, Eve pushed through the doors and walked into a large dining hall.

The room was at least twenty feet high and the walls were covered in a tasteful lace design of different shades of red. There was a long dining table in the centre of the room, and on the back wall stood a large cabinet filled with all sorts of trinkets. On either side of the room, there were small stands that stood at eye-level and on them were random, yet sinister looking objects. It was as if the room itself was a small museum of Rumplestilskin's adventures.

Despite her curiosity, Eve looked down the floor and her gaze continued to the follow the golden straw across the room until finally she saw Rumplestilskin at his spindle wheel. Wordlessly, Eve walked to the corner of the room while the Dark One continued his work without acknowledging her. She came to a window sill only several feet away from where Rumplestilskin sat, and she leaned against it; watching the creature do his work.

"Why continue to spin straw into gold?" Eve asked after several moments of silence.

Rumple paused for a moment, before continuing to spin the wheel. "It's a habit. It clears my mind."

Eve swallowed on air, feeling increasingly tense from Rumple's icy demeanour. "Thank you for coming to that forest, Rumple. I would have died if you didn't."

Rumplestilskin didn't respond, and continued to spin the wheel.

"You're angry." Eve declared, staring at the back of his head with a frown on her face.

Rumple suddenly stopped spinning the wheel, but didn't turn around to face her. "What happened to lying low?" He growled.

Eve exhaled deeply. "I did lie low! I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Rumple puffed air doubtfully, and Eve's temper flared.

"You think I went looking for trouble?"

Rumple finally turned to her with a glare in his eyes. "Of course you did, dearie! You think you're so big and strong, that you felt the need to find what could possibly be the most dangerous witch coven in the entire Enchanted Forest and show off to the world!"

Eve looked at him, horrified. "You think that my magic is going to my head so much so that I'm looking for ways to get killed?! I thought you knew me better than that, Rumplestilskin!"

"I know you're kind! I've dealt with people like you before! And it takes one to know one!" Rumple yelled back, standing to his feet.

Eve didn't reply, and instead looked long and hard at the creature before her. With a deep sigh, she stared at the ground between them. "I need to go. Thank you for saving me this morning. I won't ask anything of you again."

With that, Eve turned her back on him and began walking towards the door until Rumple called out to her in a much calmer tone.

"This morning?" He asked in confusion. "How long do you think you've been sleeping?"

Eve froze in horror, and twirled around to face Rumple again. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Two days." Rumple replied with a frown.

"No..." Eve's heart crashed into the pit of her stomach. She has missed the deadline to collect her father's things from the army.

"It's probably a good thing that I thought to collect your package from the Northern army."

Eve looked up at Rumple in shock. As if knowing that he needed proof, he clicked his fingers and a threaded sack appeared on the dining table close to where Eve stood. Speechless, Eve edged towards the table and began combing through her late father's belongings. She recognised a few of his tunics, as well as the odd comb and handkerchief until she finally came across what she had been hoping to find. She pulled the framed drawing from the sack and placed on the dining table in front of her.

When her father had initially been called upon to enlist in the army, Eve had been asked to draw a family portrait that her father would carry with him. In truth, Eve has been reluctant to do it since she was furious at him for agreeing to leave them to fight in the war, but nevertheless, she spent days working on it and when it was finally done; her father had it framed.

Eve stared at this same drawing, and she realised that this was the only thing in existence that had her father's face on it. She had drawn her father before, but her skill was never good enough for it to be worth anything. It was only in this family portrait that she could ever truly see her father's face again. Without warning, a tear escaped her eye and fell onto the dining table and formed a neat little pond.

"You drew this?"

Eve nearly jumped, realising Rumple's presence directly beside her. He reached down and gestured to the framed drawing.

"My father requested it before he made his way to war." Eve replied quietly.

"He must have been very proud of your talent." Rumple commented in a soft tone, and Eve felt his hand brush over her arm slightly.

"He wanted me to leave the farm work to my brothers so that I could focus on art."

"It sounds like he was a kind man..." Rumple offered gently, and Eve turned around to face him.

Without a word, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him for a moment before planting a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, Rumple."

Speechless, Rumplestilskin watched Eve unwrap her arms and take a step away from him. She placed the framed drawing back into the sack and tied it shut before placing it over her shoulder.

"Despite causing you trouble; you should know that I'm incredibly grateful for all you've done for me. I won't bother you again." Eve spoke softly, but firmly as she looked into Rumple's glowing eyes.

With a small smile, Eve turned away and was about to head for the door until she felt Rumple's hand grab hers. Mildly shocked, Eve allowed him to spin her into his embrace as he cradled her cheek before kissing her on the lips. It took Eve no less than two seconds to comprehend what was happening, and she leaned into the kiss. A minute later, they both pulled away slightly breathless and Rumple leaned his forehead against hers.

"I don't want to say goodbye to you just yet, dearie" Rumple declared.

"Then don't." Eve replied simply, and they started kissing once again.

Amidst the embrace, Eve saw purple smoke envelope them and they reappeared in the chambers in which Eve first woke up in. Rumple gentle walked against her until Eve felt the foot of the bed at the back of her legs, and she slowly sat down taking Rumple with her.


	6. Chapter 6

"Eve?! Is that you?"

"I'm home mother" Eve replied cheerily, stepping out of the cottage to find her mother standing beside the cart of wheat bags.

"Oh my girl!" Her mother threw her arms out and Eve embraced her tightly.

"I haven't been able to sleep since you left. Did you have a quiet journey?"

"Just as I said, I kept to the forest trails. I'm sorry that I wasn't here earlier, but the quieter trails were longer routes."

"Well better safe than on time. I'm just glad you came back to us" Her mother replied shakily, squeezing Eve once more before stepping away from her.

"I brought back father's things..." Eve's expression wavered as she shrugged the satchel from her shoulder and handed it to her mother.

The woman didn't reply, and instead gave her daughter a sad smile before walking past her and into the house, with Eve following her. She watched her mother empty the satchel and gently place the contents on the wooden table; thoughtfully rubbing the fabric of the tunics between her fingers. When her mother got to the framed family portrait, the woman began to shed tears. Eve instinctively threw an arm over the woman's shoulder and rested her cheek against the top of her head.

"Your father was always so proud of your talent, Eve."

"Supportive too" Eve replied with a small smile. "He really liked that drawing."

"He always badgered me to send you off to get a proper art education..."

Eve stood up straight and peeked at her mother's face. "I would never have gone, you know."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better." Her mother huffed shakily.

"No, I mean it. I wouldn't have enjoyed it; being away from you. Plus, I always liked teaching myself more than being taught."

"You share that trait with your father" Her mother smiled, throwing her eyes to the ceiling.

"So do you need me to do anything?" Eve asked, changing the mood suddenly.

"Well Tomas and Edwin are treating the land, and I was just on my way to the market."

"Oh, well let me go in your place." Eve replied firmly, wasting no time in heading towards the door.

"Out of the question!" Her mother grabbed her wrist and gently pulling her to a stop. "You've just had a long journey. You need rest."

"But..." Eve began, but her mother waved a hand.

"If you insist on doing something, you can go collect some fire wood. But don't spend any more than an hour. You need to take a break."

"Okay, fine. I'll do that." Eve replied with a small smile.

"Good girl. Now I'm off; I should be home at sundown. Your brothers have a busy day ahead of them as well so I think you'll have the cottage to yourself for the most of the day."

Eve hugged her mother goodbye and leaned against the doorway watching her mother disappear down the lane with the cart pulling behind her.

Once she was alone, Eve put on her cloak and grabbed the firewood basket. Without regard for her mother's orders to rest, Eve had made the decision to hike to the usual spot; collecting firewood as she went. When she finally arrived at the usual spot, she dropped the heavy basket to the floor and walked over to the small stream to get a drink. When she was rehydrated, she climbed on top of one of the flatter boulders and lay down with her head resting on her forearms; closing her eyes and exhaling deeply.

After several minutes passed, she opened her eyes and immediately sensed a presence. She turned her head to the side to find Rumplestilskin leaning against a tree. The surprise frightened Eve and she yelped, nearly falling off the boulder as she jumped.

"A simply hello would have been better than scaring me to death!" Eve exclaimed as she caught herself and sat upright on the boulder.

"Apologies" Rumple simply replied, stepping off the tree trunk and pacing a few steps forward.

Eve didn't say anything as she observed him pace. The expression on his face was slightly dark and almost worried.

"Is something wrong?" Eve asked nervously.

This was their first encounter since Rumple had brought her to the foot of the hill where she lived – after she spent the night at his castle. He seemed much happier then, and that was only a couple of hours ago.

"No"

Eve sighed. Something was most definitely wrong. She slipped off the boulder and leaned against it, tilting her head to the side as she observed Rumplestilskin.

"Well something's not right." Eve stated, raising an eyebrow.

When Rumple didn't reply, Eve's spirit darkened.

"Did you come out here just to walk around in silence with a frown on your face?" Eve asked boldly, and she received a glare.

"Mocking the Dark One is a dangerous game to play, dearie." He warned darkly, and Eve blinked in shock at his hostility.

"I'm not mocking you, Rumple." She assured him sternly.

"I'd like to think so, because that would be yet another stupid decision on your behalf!" He half-yelled, taking several strides towards her.

"Rumple! Why are you looking for a fight?!" Eve yelled back in angry confusion; taking a step back.

"I'm not the one looking for a fight here! I'm not the one who nearly got themselves killed in an effort to prove something!"

Rumplestilskin's anger was clearly having an effect, as the clouds above them began to form and block out the sunlight, and thunder began to rumble.

Eve's jaw dropped. "We've already been over this! I didn't go looking for trouble – trouble found me! I thought we cleared this up?!"

"We cleared up nothing, dearie." Rumple hissed, taking a few steps closer and leaning into her space with furious glare in his golden eyes. "You try to distract me with your..."

Rumple was cut off when Eve slapped him hard across the face.

Immediately, Eve recognised it as a mistake and so she instantly began to back away with a wide-eyed expression. However, her feeling of regret vanished when Rumplestilskin threw a ball of purple energy in her direction.

Instinctively, Eve threw her arms over her face as she created a protective wall of solid air in front of her. She felt the heat of the attack on either edge of the wall. When the heat disappeared, she lowered her arms and looked up to find Rumple standing several feet away; clearly wrestling with a combination of horror and anger of what had just happened.

Angry tears began to sting Eve's eyes as she opened her mouth to speak, but she thought better of it and instead turned her back to Rumple and stalked off without looking back. She wasn't followed for the entire walk home, and so didn't feel ashamed when she let the tears fall.

The couple of days that followed were a miserable blur for Eve. She worked in both the market place and on the farm, but rarely spoke to her family. They had noticed her demeanor quickly, but she explained that she was simply still tired from her long journey. She was too worried to sleep, and her appetite was close to non-existent; which worried her mother to no end. Luckily, she could at least keep her magic under control now – despite her emotions of late.

On the third day, Eve was told to tend to the farm herself and her mother needed both brothers to accompany her to an annual festival two towns away – where the family always had a wheat stall and earned more money than their usual profit. They were going to stay in one of the inn's for the night, so Eve was home alone for the next 24hours.

It was early evening when Eve was visited – she had finished her work earlier than expected, and had decided to climb on of the trees outside the front of the cottage. She was perched somewhere in the middle of the trees, leaning against the trunk where she had both a clear view of the cottage below and a scenic view of the town at the bottom of their hill.

"It's funny how such an awful town can look so pleasant from this distance."

Eve's heart stopped, but she remained composed as she looked over her shoulder to find Rumplestilskin perched on a large branch beside her. Because she couldn't think of anything to say, Eve simply didn't respond and instead calmly dropped to the ground and entered her cottage. She closed the front door with more force than necessary.

"A closed door isn't going to do much, dearie."

Eve looked around the room and inhaled deeply at the sight of Rumple leaning against the fireplace.

"Leave. Now." Eve spoke quietly, but sternly.

Rumple's upbeat pretense faded as his shoulder sagged and he looked down at the stone floor with sad eyes.

"You have a good reason to be angry." He stated in a different tone.

Eve folded her arms and glared away from him. "I have several good reasons to be angry, actually."

"Eve..." Rumple began, but Eve needed to say more.

"You regret it, don't you?! What happened between us? You regretted it, and so you decided to take it out on me. Well you know what? I am not your punching bag, Rumplestilskin! I am not something you can lash out at just because you regret your actions!"

Rumplestilskin opened his mouth to say something as fury built up in his eyes; but suddenly he stopped and calmed down again.

"You're right about something, dearie." He spoke in a soft tone. "You are no punching bag."

Eve chewed the inside of one cheek as she did her best to fight back angry tears.

"But don't – for a single a moment – think that I regret what happened between you and I."

Shocked, Eve watched him wide-eyed as he paced closer towards her. He stopped when the distance between was next to nothing.

"Then..." Eve looked up at him warily. "Then where did the anger come from?"

"Guilt, my dear." Rumple replied with a sad smile. "A terrible guilt from my past."

"Oh" It was all Eve could say – she was dumbfounded.

"You see...I lost someone dear to me some time ago. She...She was my true love."

That last comment cut a wound in Eve that she didn't fully understand. "What happened?"

"She left me...And then she died tragically." Rumple looked down at the ground beneath them as he answered.

Eve had no words, and instead studied his face in hopes that he would continue.

"I swore to myself that I would never love again – the pain was simply too unbearable. And what happened at my castle; what you and I did, what we became...I broke my own promise."

"I'm sorry Rumple..." Eve whispered.

"Don't apologise." Rumple murmured immediately. "You have nothing to apologise for."

Again, Eve was lost for words and waited for him to continue.

"After I brought you home, I was consumed by guilt. I was angry with myself for breaking my own vow, and I felt guilty about Belle – the love I lost. By the time you and I saw each other again, I was consumed by my thoughts, and I took it out on you – and that is unforgivable."

Eve looked downwards as the adrenaline rushed through her and her heart beat accelerated. However, the silence was too much and Rumplestilskin suddenly backed away and headed for the door.

"I forgive you, Rumple." Eve called out hastily.

Rumple stopped suddenly as he came to the doorway, but he didn't turn around. Eve took several steps forward, hoping to catch his gaze.

"I'm still hurt, but I forgive you." She continued quietly, and Rumple finally turned to face her. "You handled your feelings the wrong way...But I understand your reasons."

"I'm sorry that I attacked you, Eve" Rumple stared at her with a vulnerable look in his eyes that Eve had never seen before.

Eve smiled awkwardly. "Technically, you only tried to attack me. Luckily for you, I have a good teacher who taught me how to defend myself."

"Is that so?" Rumple's demeanor began to change as he smiled coyly. "It sounds like he's taught you a little too well."

"I'll be sure to let him know." Eve replied smugly and Rumple stepped forward; taking her in his arms.


	7. Chapter 7

In the months that followed, Eve felt as though she were living two separate lives. In her life of magic, things were improving in both her abilities as well as her relationship with Rumplestilskin. She had eventually mastered the power of healing, and her elemental control was almost on par to the Dark One. Since the incident with the witch coven, Eve had become close to indestructible as she vanquished creatures and stormed castles – all in relation to Rumple's main line of work.

However, Eve's personal life was on a downhill slope. Their kingdom had lost the war in which she lost her father, and instead of being burnt to the ground; their lands were merged with the winning kingdom. This meant that the people were under a new rule, and it was evident that this new ruler was stern and owned a much meaner band of soldiers. The soldiers were bullying Eve's town, and by doing so, the townspeople rarely left their homes and her family were selling less and less wheat as time went by.

"They're threatening to take over the farm and use if for the castle's stock." Eve stated after failing to revive a dying flower.

"Aye, I've seen it happen before" Rumple replied, hunkering down next to her and successfully reviving the flower into bloom.

"I want to do something about it." Eve huffed, standing up and looking to Rumple for an opinion.

Rumple sighed, standing to his feet. "And what exactly is that something, dearie? Do you plan to fight off the king's entire army to defend your little farm?"

"Do you think I could do that?" Eve frowned, never entertaining the thought before.

"Oh, I have no doubt that you could." Rumple replied, turning away from her and pacing a few steps.

"But that doesn't mean you should" He whirled suddenly, pointing a finger in her direction.

"They've already taken apart other market places in town." Eve continued. "It's only a matter of time before they raid the stalls at our own!"

"If you were any ordinary sorceress, I'd tell you to go wild – turn them to ash if you wished such a thing." Rumple began, and Eve sighed in anticipation for the lecture to come.

"But you're not an ordinary sorceress. You're made of pure magic. Do you understand how rare your kind truly is? And it's a good thing too. If there was more than one of you alive at the same time, it would mean total destruction! And that's because your magic is too pure. It must be contained, or otherwise there will be chaos."

"But I have it contained!" Ever pointed out, and just to make a point; she revived an entire ground of dying flowers beside the brook.

"Only because you have me, dearie." Rumple replied firmly, and Eve glared.

"Well what's the point in having all this...this power, if I can't make a difference?!"

"You think you haven't made a difference? The monsters slain and towns saved would prove otherwise!"

"Those were deals made by you. They would still be seen to if I wasn't involved." Eve countered.

"They were problems, and you still played a part in solving them, dearie."

"Then why can't I solve this one?!" Eve exclaimed in frustration, and suddenly, a collection of dead leaves burst into flames.

"That" Rumple pointed to the smoking ground. "Is your reason! This problem is far too personal. You're too involved. Anything you do will only bring destruction."

Eve didn't respond and glared at the burning leaves instead.

"You're too proud to even ask for my help!" Rumple continued, giggling darkly. "I could easily solve this situation for you, and you have yet to ask a thing from me."

"I just don't see the point in my magic if I can't use to sort out my own problems as well as others." Eve said finally – now feeling calmer; she extinguished the flames with an orb of water from the brook.

Rumplestilskin took several steps until he was close enough to rest his hands on her shoulders. "Listen, dearie. When I have a spare moment, I'll see what I can do."

"What do you want in exchange?" Eve asked quietly, looking up at Rumple's face.

"Oh I don't know" Rumple replied, stroking his chin theatrically. "I'll think of something."

"How ominous of you" Eve rolled her eyes, grinning for the first time that day.

"But I'm afraid I have some news." Rumple paced away from her once again. "I'm leaving on business for the next couple of days."

Eve frowned. "Business that you don't need my help with?"

"Indeed it is. I'm dealing with powerful parties that can't know you exist. It's simply too dangerous to bring you with me."

Eve nodded, remembering the reaction from the coven attack months ago. "You'll be gone then..."

"Just for a day or two" Rumple reassured her. "When I return, I can solve your problem."

Rumple spent his first day of business observing the Evil Queen as she scoured her spell books in hopes of finding something that would finally quench her thirst for Snow White's demise. She lost patience soon, and just as Rumple had expected; Regina summoned him. He spent the rest of the day explaining to Regina that what she needed was a curse - the ultimate curse. A curse that was going to help him finally find his boy.

After sending Regina on a scavenger hunt to obtain ingredients, Rumple returned to his estate and began to brew a potion of his own. Now that Regina was set on creating the curse, Rumple knew that he needed to add Eve into the equation. After all, he couldn't allow the Pure One to be affected by Regina's curse. Besides, Rumplestilskin hadn't felt this way about anyone since Belle. He wanted to protect Eve – powerful sorceress or not.

His potion took quite some time to concoct, however, and so he didn't return to Eve until three days had passed. He sensed that Eve was alone in her bed chamber, and so he appeared by the window looking outwards. He immediately saw the smoke.

"Well, well, well" He chuckled darkly, "I'm gone for three days and the world turns to ash, now that's just..."

Rumplestilskin trailed off when he finally looked around to find Eve curled up on the bed. Her eyes were red from crying, and she stared blankly in front of her.

"Eve...?" Rumple's demeanor changed instantly and he appeared on the bed next to her.

"I-I'm so-so sorry" Eve breathed, turning her blank gaze onto Rumple's face – the look in her eyes frightened Rumplestilskin.

"What happened dearie?" Rumple asked softly, scared for Eve's sanity.

Eve broke down in silent tears. "The garden..."

Quickly understanding her, Rumple stood up and crossed to the window. He peered outside and his eyes widened a fraction at what he saw in the garden at the front of the cottage. There were three mounds of soil in ground. Three graves.

Rumple whirled around to find Eve now sitting up with her knees tucked under her chin as she kept her eyes down.

"I was selling wheat in town on the evening you left. There was a soldier and he was terrorising a small child. He was going to beat the child, so I had to stop him. It turned into a brawl, and I killed him."

Rumple slowly closed his eyes in anguish, waiting for Eve to continue as she struggled to maintain the strength in her voice.

"By the time I made it back to the farm, the other soldiers had come and went." Eve's voice began to shake. "They nailed my mother's body to the front door, and my-my brother's heads...were sitting in their laps..."

"Eve..." Rumple took a few steps forward, watching the woman he loved fall apart.

"I blacked out, Rumple. I blacked out, and when I woke up; there was nothing but ash and smoke!"

Rumple sat on the bed and pulled Eve into his arms, his heart breaking for her as he felt her tremble against his torso.

"It's going to be alright, Eve. I'm here now. Okay? I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere." He continued to murmur similar things as he stroked Erin's hair and planted kissed on the top of her head. He couldn't help noticing the smell of smoke in her hair.

Eve woke up with an empty feeling in her stomach. Her heart ached and her eyes were sore from crying. The only thing that kept her together in that moment was the fact that her head was resting on Rumplestilskin's chest as it rose and fell to his breathing.

"Eve?"

"I'm awake." Eve murmured, staring blankly around the bed chamber of Rumple's castle.

"Any nightmares?" Rumple asked as he watched Eve sit up.

Eve shook her head. "Your potion did the job, thank you."

"Eve, I have something to tell you..." Rumple stated as he sat up next to her with his hand placed on her back.

Eve remained silent as she locked eyes with Rumple, waiting for him to continue.

"This land is in grave danger, Eve. The Queen is going to unleash a curse on the entire Enchanted Forest."

Eve's eyes widened a fraction. "What does the curse entail?"

"We're going to be torn from this place; from our lives and our loved ones, and brought to a new land."

"Do we have to stop her or..." Eve's expression suddenly changed. "This new land...You think Balefire will be there?"

"I believe so, yes. But I'm afraid that the curse itself is merely a stepping stone. When the baby of Snow White and her husband turns 28, she will break the curse. That's when I'll be free to roam the new land and find my boy."

"You brewed the curse yourself?" Eve asked mildly.

"Indeed I did. It's Regina that must do it though. I have to let her believe that this curse is meant for her revenge on Snow White, and not for my own personal gain."

"So what? Are you telling me that you and I will be separated?" Eve's brow furrowed. She couldn't complain about it if it meant Rumple could finally find his son.

"For a time...Yes. It has to be that way – but it's not Regina's curse that will be separating us"

"Rumple...I don't understand..." Eve explained, but Rumple stroked her cheek to silence her.

"I'm going to put you under my own curse, which will send you to this new land with the rest of us. However, I don't want Regina's curse interfering with your magic – there's no telling what could happen to you if you interacted with her. So to keep you safe, you're going to stay safe; hidden away from everyone until the curse is broken and I've brought magic to this new land."

Eve's eyes widened with fear. "You're asking me to hide for 28 years?!"

"You won't even notice, dearie, I promise. I'm going to enchant you, so that you are frozen until you come into contact with magic again."

"It's a sleeping curse?" Eve was liking this idea less and less.

"No, no – I wouldn't put you through that" Rumple assured her quickly. "It's simply an enchantment that will make you feel as though you were in this land one minute; and you're in the new land the next minute. It's just to keep you from being affected by all the time that is required to pass before you can be free."

Eve hesitated, truly unsure of how to respond. The whole ordeal sounded terrifying. Rumple obviously detected her uncertainty, as he placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her square in the eye.

"The truth is...I don't know enough about this new land to risk your safety. You're too powerful a sorceress to be put in such a vulnerable position. This way, you can be protected from whatever waits for us in this curse and Regina – nor anyone else – will discover you. I know that this sounds scary, and it isn't what you want to go through after the trauma you've just experienced, but this is the best way I can help you."

"What's going to happen to you when I'm frozen?" Eve's eyes stung with tears.

"I'll be alright, you know I will. Not only am I the Dark One, dearie, but I'm also the one who brought Regina the curse. I'll be making a few demands that she must meet before I can help her. I have too much control over the situation to be in any real danger."

Rumple assured her as he edged off the bed and crossed to the window. Eve sat for a moment, taking in all of the information, before getting to her feet and taking several steps towards Rumple.

"I'll agree to all of this on one condition." Eve put on a brave face as she stared up at Rumple.

"Anything, my love, anything." Rumple stepped towards her.

"Take away my memories of my family."

"Eve..." Rumple began, but she shook her head.

"I can't live with the pain Rumple, and I certainly don't like the idea of feeling these emotions 28 years down the line in a strange new land. I'm not saying I want to forget my family completely – I can live with my father dying in battle, but I can't survive the memory of finding my family's corpses outside the home where I grew up with them."

"I understand, Eve. I'll do exactly what you wish. I'll reconstruct your memory...When we meet again in the new land; you'll remember saving your family from the curse, along with your town. That way you'll be okay with being in a new land without them, because you'll know that you did your best to keep them safe."

Eve fought back tears, both of sadness and joy. "Thank you, Rumple."

Rumple embraced her tightly, and he closed his eyes – realising how much he was truly going to miss her. His anguish was beginning to worry him.

Eve was frozen, floating the hollow of a large oak tree above Rumplestilskin. They had said their heartfelt goodbyes, which had admittedly broken what was left of Rumple's dark heart. He gazed at her; frozen and shimmering with the enchantment. He felt guilty about his next step.

The truth was, Rumple needed to focus between now and the beginning of the curse. He had already planned to be imprisoned by Snow White and her husband, and he had everything planned to perfection. However, no matter how much he tried to avoid it; Eve was a spanner in the works. Not even in his prophecies had he foreseen Eve coming into his life – which he figured had something to do with her being the Pure One – and so in order to carry out his plan without distraction; Rumple was going to have to extract his own memories of Eve.

After sealing the tree with Eve safely inside, Rumple conducted the curse; except with the spell, he laced his memories of Eve. By the time the spell was done, Rumple couldn't remember-

-Rumplestilskin couldn't remember what on earth he was doing in a random part of the infinite forest. With an amused giggle, Rumple vanished into a cloud of purple smoke. He had an appointment with a fairy godmother and a woman called Cinderella.


	8. Chapter 8

"Pongo!" Archie cried as he watched the Dalmatian's lead leap from his grasp as the dog dashed through the woods.

"Everything alright, Archie?!" Leroy called from several metres away.

"Pongo's run off – I'll be back to help in just a sec'!" He replied before jogging in pursuit.

"Watch the town line!" Leroy bellowed after him.

Archie frowned at Leroy's reminder. Before Pongo had escaped, members of the town were working together to erect signs and fences at the town border. It was important that Archie kept his sense of direction, because they weren't finished and if he crossed the town line; he was going to end up like Sneezy. He wouldn't remember his true self before Regina's now-broken curse.

Thankfully, Pongo didn't get too far because Archie managed to find him within five minutes of jogging through the thick forest. He found the dog barking and wagging his tail as he made circles, telling Archie that Pongo must have found something. As he came closer, Archie came to a halt. Pongo was standing beside a body of a girl face down on the ground and dressed in clothes that he hadn't seen since the Enchanted Forest.

Archie scurried over, giving Pongo a reassuring pat on the head. "Go get Leroy and the others, Pongo."

The dog must have understood, because without delay he sprinted back in the direction of the townspeople.

Archie was scared as he looked down at the girl. Her hair was dark blonde and was spread out in waves along the forest ground, covering any parts of her face that weren't hidden by soil. Reluctantly, he nudged the girl onto her back and he could finally see the face of a young, pretty woman. Her body showed no obvious signs of injury, so Archie decided he had to check for a pulse.

After a few moments passed, Archie's stomach began to flip as he suspected the girl was dead but suddenly he felt a distinct pulse against the tip of his fingers.

"Archie?! You alright? Pongo was going-

Leroy trailed off as he arrived at the scene with Ruby and the rest of the dwarves behind him. They watched in confusion as Archie spun around to face them.

"Call for help. This girl is still breathing!"

Eve's vision was a blur at first. She was lying on a bed in a brightly lit chamber, and there were scents in the air that she had never experienced before. There was a constant noise on one side that sounded like a rhythmic yet soft wail.

As her vision began to clear, Eve grew more confused. The chamber she was in had blue walls and the floor was made of a material that she had never seen before. She followed the sound of the wailing, and saw a device next to her bed that was simply alien to her. A line of green lights stood out against a black, reflective canvas and the wailing was in time with the jumps in the steady green line.

"Hello?"

Eve jumped and leapt up into a seating position to find a red-haired man with spectacles seated in a chair across from her. She had never seen robes like his before. She would have asked him a question, but in that moment Eve finally noticed that there were several strange pieces of apparatus coming out of her wrists and hand. Her robes had been replaced by a blue sheet made of unrecognisable fabric. Eve began to scream.

"It's alright! It's alright! Calm down, please!" The red-haired man insisted as he left his seat and approached her bedside.

Eve's heart beat was rising and in a panic, she tugged on the apparatus in her arms. She panicked when she saw blood ooze out of her hand when she removed the final piece of apparatus.

"Don't do that! You'll hurt yourself, Miss!" The man insisted.

"Where am I?! What's going on?! Where is he?!" Eve cried as she tried to get out of the bed.

The man was about to make another attempt to calm her, but suddenly a group of oddly dressed people bursts into the room and headed straight for her.

"Doctor Wale!" The red-haired man addressed a man wearing a white coat.

"Did she rip out her IV drip?!" This doctor Wale demanded as the others pinned Eve to the bed.

"I couldn't stop her, I'm sorry!" The red haired man apologised.

"Sedate her! Now!" Doctor Wale ordered and suddenly, someone grabbed Eve's arm and she felt a sharp needle pierce her skin.

Eve prepared to defend herself, but suddenly the edges of her vision began to blur and she slipped into unconsciousness.

The second time Eve woke up, she felt very tired. She tried to lift her head, but her entire body felt unnaturally heavy. She let out a moan.

"You're safe, Miss." The red-haired man's voice echoed against the walls of the strange chamber.

"What...?" Eve uttered groggily, quickly discovering that her wrists were bounded to the railings of her bed.

"Did you poison me?"

"No, no! We had to give you something to calm down. You could have hurt yourself." The man explained, coming into view.

Eve noticed that his chair was positioned immediately next to her bed, blocking her view of the noisy technology behind him.

"Where am I?" Eve mumbled as she tried to wake her brain up.

"You're in a hospital. Doctor Wale said-

"Doctor? Are we in a medical center?" Eve asked, interrupting the man.

The man smiled. "Yes...A hospital is a medical center...What's your name?"

"Eve"

"Eve...Are you...Did you come from over there? From the Enchanted Forest?"

Eve opened her mouth to answer him, but her memories suddenly came to her in the form of a slap to the face. The shock of it brought tears to her eyes.

"Oh..." Eve uttered. "Oh...We're not in the Enchanted Forest anymore. That means..."

"Eve, where have you been?" The man interrupted her.

"Where is he? Does he know I'm here?" Eve asked the man, blinking the tears out of her eyes.

"Who are you talking about, Eve?" The man frowned in confusion.

"He's supposed to be here, he promised..."

"Who is he, Eve? What's his name?" The man reached out for her hand, but Eve pulled away from him.

"He's..." Eve trailed off before she gave him an answer.

If Eve had learned anything, she knew that she was always safer when people didn't know that she knew Rumplestilskin. He had always warned her to never let anyone know about their relationship even existing, because of his reputation.

"Who are you?" Eve asked suddenly, changing the subject.

The confusion in the man's face wavered before he gave her a small smile. "My name is Jim- Archie Hopper."

Eve shook his hand, quickly realising that this man was harmless and most of all, kindhearted.

"So...The queen's curse? We're in it?"

Archie returned to his frown. "Eve, what's the last thing you remember?"

Eve gulped on air. "I...I remember saying goodbye to my family."

"You have family? We can probably find them for you!" Archie became excited, but Eve shook her head.

"No, no I saved them from the curse. I protected them, they won't be here."

"Oh..." Archie replied, contemplating what Eve was saying.

"Where is 'here'?" Eve asked quickly, steering the conversation.

"We're in a town called Storybrooke."

"Right...So the curse worked then." She murmured to herself.

"Eve, I don't wish to alarm you but this curse? It's hasn't been broken for the last 28 years. Where have you been all this time?" Archie asked; his face full of worry and concern.

"I..." Eve trailed off in an attempt to recall her last moments before the curse had struck.

She remembered saving her family with the help of Rumplestilkin, and that had been a teary goodbye for her; especially after already parting with her father only months beforehand. Then, shortly after leaving her family; Rumple had taken her into the Infinite Forest where he enchanted a tree. The tree was going to keep Eve safe and keep her unaffected by the curse in the same way it was intended to effect others like Snow White and her kingdom. Rumple and Eve had shared an emotional farewell and Rumple's last words to her were that magic would free her and he would see her when she awoke.

"I've been sleeping." Eve finally replied, looking away from Archie.

"You were under a sleeping curse?" He asked.

"Yes..." Eve thought for a moment. "I made a deal with a powerful wizard, who told me that if I put myself under a sleeping curse, I wouldn't have to suffer through the Evil Queen's curse."

"Huh...And so now that the curse was broken, so was your own sleeping curse?"

"I can't think of a better explanation" Eve replied as earnestly as she could.

"Well then..."

Eve held her breath, waiting for Archie to challenge her story.

"...You've got quite a bit of catching up to do" He finished with a big smile, and Eve's shoulders sagged in relief.

"Look, I don't mean to sound rude but...I don't think these bindings are necessary anymore." Eve said after a moment.

"Oh! Of course!" Archie stood to his feet straight away and untied her wrists. "I'm going to go get the doctor for you. The sooner you're out of hospital, the sooner you can familiarise yourself with Storybrooke."

"Thank you, Archie" Eve replied with a small smile and watched the man leave the room with a bounce in his step.

As Eve waited, she contemplated leaving the medical centre on her own terms but eventually thought the better of it. She was in a strange new land that she knew nothing about, and seemingly, no one knew about her here either. If Rumple wasn't around to help her, she was going to have to be smart – and she knew that she had to keep her power a secret from everyone for as long as possible. Once she reunited with Rumple, then she'd decide how to handle her magic.

After ten minutes passed, Archie came back into the room with a nurse who unhooked Eve from the alien apparatus. Archie even managed to find her a new outfit that looked more suitable in this new land; regardless of how strange the clothes were to Eve. Within the hour, Eve was released from the so-called hospital and Archie insisted on staying with her.

"Now this..." Archie explained as they walked towards a metal monstrosity. "Is the closest thing to the carriages we had back in the Enchanted Forest. It's called a car."

"No horses?" Eve asked with a frown as she observed the thing from a safe distance.

Archie chuckled. "No no. They're not needed here. Cars are powered by technology that stays under the bonnet."

"Right..." Eve trailed off, still unconvinced.

"Would you like to step inside, Madam?" Archie opened the passenger door for her, and Eve had no choice but to climb into the passenger seat of the small booth.

After appearing on the other side of the car and jumping in behind a leather wheel, Archie gave her a smile.

"I know this is overwhelming for you, but you'll get used to it in time."

Eve replied with a smile before Archie twisted a small metal lever behind the leather wheel, and Eve felt the car begin to vibrate. Without warning, Archie turned the leather wheel and she marvelled as the car began to move; turning away from the pavement and pulling onto the black tarmac.

Ten minutes later, Archie brought the car to a stop in the middle of what looked like a town hall. There was a large swarm of people on the grounds, and Eve sensed a tension in the air.

"What's going on?" Eve frowned, peering through the glass.

"Here's the thing, Eve..."Archie began with a sigh. "You've woken at a very chaotic time. You see, for the last 28 years, the people of this town have been living fake lives. None of us remembered our lives from the Enchanted Forest. We actually believed that the Enchanted Forest was the stuff of fairy tales – stories."

"That was a part of Regina's curse?" Eve paled, thinking about Rumplestilskin.

"Sadly, yes. Except now that her curse is broken, the town have suddenly got their memories back which is fantastic but...It's utter chaos right now. People are confused. They're trying to find friends and family that they didn't even remember having in the last 28 years. People are even threatening the Queen herself, now that their memories are back."

"The Queen is here?" Eve asked doubtfully as she observed the scene outside.

"She's the town mayor actually." Archie replied with an edge to his voice. "And what's worse is that Prince David is trying take control of the situation, despite the fact that he just lost Snow White and their daughter in a portal."

"How awful!" Eve replied, although it didn't greatly affect her.

"Like I said...You've woken at a very chaotic time." Archie smiled stiffly as he glanced at the crowd of people.

"Look, Archie...You have friends in this land – I don't. If you want to go help them, don't let me stop you. It sounds like the town needs all the help it can get."

Archie gave Eve a sheepish look. "I can't leave you alone Eve. You're new to this land, and you don't know anyone. You could easily overwhelm yourself if you don't have someone to help you."

Eve shrugged, honestly not fazed by the idea of fending for herself. "Honestly Archie, I can look after myself for a while. You have more important matters to deal with and I don't want to add to the list."

"You really don't mind?" Archie asked slowly, and Eve simply shook her head.

After staring at her for several moments, Archie relaxed before bringing the car back to life once again.

"Where are we going?" Eve asked surprised.

"I'm taking you to the town's hotel- the town's Inn. The owners are friends of mine and they can give you a room until you...Well, until we can figure something else out for you."

Archie only turned down several streets before coming to another stop outside of a white building with tables and chairs outside surrounded by a white picket fence.

"Shall we?" He asked before stepping out of the car.

Eve did the same and followed Archie up the steps. He opened the door for her as she stepped inside to the cleanest tavern she had ever laid eyes on. It was empty, before an elderly looking woman burst through a door at the back of the tavern.

"Archie! You can't expect me to cook at a time like this!" The woman accused, walking up to them as they stood by the door.

"I'm sorry Granny, but I need a favour." Archie explained, and the woman's face softened considerably.

"This is Eve. She's in a...special situation and I was wondering if you could give her a room for the next couple of days while I help the Prince."

"What's so special about your situation then, honey?" The woman asked unsympathetically.

"I only just woke up..." Eve explained hesitantly. "I've been asleep for the last 28 years, so this Storybrooke land is completely new to me."

The woman's eyes widened a fraction. "So you haven't had a fake life all this time?"

"No, Miss." Eve answered shyly.

"What do you say, Granny? Can you help her out?" Archie piped up in a pleading tone.

"Of course, Archie, it's no trouble at all. You probably got here at a good time too – I'd say I'll be getting a lot of confused customers looking for a place to stay while they try to find their families."

"Thanks Granny" Archie gave her a big smile, before turning back to Eve.

"I'm going to give you some money so you can get something to eat. I'll stop by later tonight to see how you're settling in. I can even give you a quick tour of Storybrooke if you like."

"Archie, you really don't have to..." Eve began, but Archie firmly shook his head.

"I insist, Eve" He confirmed with a smile. "But now, I'll have to leave you in the hands of Granny. Prince David needs my help."

"Thank you, Archie." Eve gave him her best smile and watched him disappear at the door.

"Now, dear; if you follow me, I'll show you to your room." Granny said behind her, and Eve began to walk.

Eve was shown to beautiful bed chamber with its own bathing facilities and a bed fit for royalty. The elderly woman even showed Eve small things such as the bathroom, and how to turn on a thing called a lamp. Eve was even introduced to a magical box called a television that displayed moving images in time with sound playing from netted trumpets.

After having what Granny called a 'hamburger', Archie arrived at the diner to give Eve a tour of Storybrooke. It was apparent to Eve that this new land was merely just a town in comparison to the Enchanted Forest, which was an entirely different world in its own right. Archie had explained his day, and that none of the townspeople could cross the town line without losing their memories. There were groups of people looking to execute the Evil Queen, but most families and friends had reunited by now. The main issue at hand was trying to bring back Snow White and their daughter, but that was something that was a personal crisis more than a burden on the entire town. Once Archie had dropped Eve back to her room at the inn, she stayed awake late into the night as she practiced basic magic exercises to ensure that she hadn't lost her strength in the last 28 years of sleep.

A week had passed, and Eve was offered a job at the Inn in order to pay for her room. Granny was kind to her, and her granddaughter, Ruby, was even friendlier and Eve quickly found a friend. It amazed her how quickly she could adapt to this new land and all of its wonders and strange inventions. She would have been genuinely happy if she could only stop worrying about the one thing she truly cared about. Where was Rumplestilskin?

Eve had made a point of never asking Ruby, or Archie, or anyone else about Rumple's whereabouts. Back in the Enchanted Forest, Eve was well aware of his reputation throughout the kingdom, and Rumple had always told her that she was probably better off if she didn't mention her affiliation with the 'Dark One' to people. This new land didn't make Eve think any differently. If she was going to find Rumplestilskin, she was going to do it alone.


	9. Chapter 9

"Thanks, Sister." Leroy smiled at Eve as she slid a plate of bacon across the counter.

"Enjoy!" Eve replied politely before clearing a section of the bar.

"Hey...Eve, right?" Leroy spoke up after a moment.

"That's right, Sir."

"The name's Leroy." He stated quickly. "Word on the street is that you don't remember your time here in Storybrooke. That true?"

Eve was taken aback by Leroy's bluntness, but remained perfectly composed as she wiped down the bar.

"I was in a sleeping curse for the 28 years."

"A sleeping curse?!" Leroy's eyes narrowed. "How come?"

"Oh Leroy" Granny emerged from the kitchen. "Stop pryin' and eat your bacon!"

Leroy muttered something under his breath before he stood up from his stool and joined a group of men in one of the booths.

"Don't worry Eve" Granny appeared beside her. "You'll find that in a town this small, people love to gossip!"

"Oh tell me about it! Back home, I lived on the edge of a huge town and it was teeming with gossip. I guess some things never change." Eve replied cheerily and Granny gave her a comforting smile before returning to the kitchen with a stack of cleaned dishes.

Half an hour went by before Leroy and his group of friends stood up from the booth and made their way to the exit. Eve was sweeping the floor near-by and absentmindedly tuned into the end of their conversation.

"...I tell ya" Leroy declared scathingly. "I say we loot that pawn shop, and take back everything that Rumplestilskin took from us!"

As the exit door slammed shut, Eve froze mid-sweep. Did she just overhear Leroy talking about Rumplestilskin? Owning a pawn shop? In Storybrooke? This was the first time she had heard anyone mention Rumple's name, let alone his whereabouts. Eve's stomach began to flutter with anticipation; her evening suddenly had a purpose.

Without asking anyone for directions, Eve simply took one of the hotel maps at the end of her shift. She showered and dressed in a new outfit that Ruby had helped her pick out only the day before, and she was on the street within the hour of finishing work. There were still a few hours of daylight left and Eve passed several businesses that were still open to customers, so Eve was hoping that Rumple's pawnshop would be the same.

After twenty minutes of following the map's directions, Eve finally came to the pawnshop. She assumed that 'Mr. Gold' must have been Rumple's identity during the curse, and the irony in the name made Eve smirk as she peered through the shop's blinds. With a few deep breaths, Eve stepped into the shop; slightly startled by the ringing of the bell that sounded her arrival in the building.

There wasn't anyone in sight, but Eve was too intrigued by the store not to notice. It was a neat clutter of all sorts of objects; some sitting behind glass cages while others hung from the rafters. Eve even recognised one or two pieces of furniture from Rumple's castle back in the Enchanted Forest.

"Can I help you, Ma'am?"

Eve whirled around to find a chirpy-looking woman emerge from a set of heavy, gold curtains. She had an accent that Eve had never heard before, and her eyes were a piercing blue as she gave Eve a friendly smile.

"Hi there...I was, um, just looking around." Eve replied sheepishly; confused as to why Rumple had yet to appear.

"Do you have anything particular in mind?" The woman asked cheerily, stepping up to a space on the counter free of any clutter.

"Em...Not really. Sorry, what's your name?" Eve asked with a nervous smile.

"Oh, I'm Belle. It's nice to meet you, and you are...?" The woman replied, offering Eve her hand.

"Hi, Belle, my name is..." Eve trailed off.

Belle. Belle was the name of Rumplestilskin's first love. She was the woman that caused Rumple to feel guilt about when he had fallen in love with Eve. Belle was supposed to be dead.

"I thought you were dead." Eve paled, her eyes wide.

Belle frowned in confusion. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

Eve choked on her words, but never got the chance to recover before someone emerged from the gold curtains.

"Is there a problem, Belle?"

Rumplestilskin walked into view to stand beside the woman Eve had thought to be dead. However, Rumple didn't look like the Dark One. Instead, he looked like a man with normal skin that didn't shimmer, and his eyes were big and dark. His hair was no longer curled with flecks of gold, and was instead straight and longer, with grey streaks at the ends. The sight took Eve by total surprise, but she knew that it was Rumplestilskin.

"I'm not sure" Belle began to answer, but Eve was too busy staring at Rumplestilskin.

"Well then I'll ask you, Madam." Rumple stated, looking at Eve with a look of disinterest. "Is there a problem here?"

Eve stared for several moments, horrified and confused. Was this one of Rumple's sick games? Was he testing her? Or...Or did he genuinely not know who Eve was. The look in his eye was too real. Eve was staring at a man who didn't remember who she was – or worse than that; what she was to him.

"I'm sorry...I just remembered that I'm late for work." Eve said slowly, and before either Belle or Rumple had the chance to stop her, she walked out of the pawn shop.

With adrenaline rushing through her, Eve hurried down the street before coming to an alleyway. She disappeared off the pavement and hid behind one of the large dumpsters before she let herself break down.

What was happening? Did Rumplestilskin truly not recognise her? It would explain why he hadn't come looking for her when she woke up in Storybrooke. But how was that possible? Archie had made it very clear that when the curse was broken, everyone regained their memories. Why was Rumple different? And more importantly, how was Belle alive? Rumple had poured his heart out to Eve when he had told her about his first love, and how she had met a tragic end involving jumping from a tower. She had been dead for quite some time before Eve had come into Rumple's life...

"Excuse me, Ma'am?!"

Eve heard Belle's voice echo through the alley, and immediately Eve ducked down behind the dumpster. When she heard the nearing of footsteps, she had no choice but to summon a whirl of golden smoke.

Appearing in a random spot in the forest on the edge of town, Eve sat down at the foot of a moss-covered tree. Her heart was still racing and tears were stinging her eyes.

Whatever happened to Rumplestilskin; he clearly didn't remember Eve. And not only that, but he had been reunited with his first love, Belle. The thought that entered her head pushed Eve over the edge and she began to cry.

What was she going to do?

"Eve, is something wrong?" Ruby asked as she stood by the sink.

Eve's expression faltered as she set down the dirty plates on the counter. "What do you mean?"

"It's just you've looked...lost since this morning. Are you doing okay?"

"I'm alright, Ruby, I promise. I just miss my family sometimes." Eve replied quietly, feeling guilty to use them as her excuse.

"I'm sorry Eve..." Ruby gave her a sympathetic look. "If it helps, I think what you did for your family was very brave and selfless of you. I'm sure they're really proud of you."

Eve smiled at the thought. "I hope so...Anyways, are Archie's pancake ready?"

Ruby gave Eve another encouraging smile before handing her a plate of warm pancakes drizzled with maple syrup. Eve left the kitchen and stepped into the diner, which was semi-busy. She walked across the room and set the pancakes down in front of Archie sitting down in one of the booths.

"Thanks Eve" Archie beamed at her.

"Enjoy, Archie" Eve gave him a small smile before turning to walk away.

"Eve?" He called suddenly, and she turned back around to face him.

"Something wrong?"

"You look a bit...down today, are you alright?"

Eve let a small, convincing laugh and threw a glance at their surroundings.

"I'm fine Archie. You don't have to..."

Eve trailed off when her eyes locked with Rumplestilskin; who was sitting in two booths away from Archie with Belle sitting across from him. He squinted his eyes, obviously noting Eve's stunned reaction.

"Eve, what's wrong?" Archie piped up, alarmed.

Eve looked back at Archie with big eyes. "I...need to go."

Before Eve could hear Archie, she sped-walked past Rumple's booth and headed straight for the back door of the diner. She burst through the back door and stepped out onto the alleyway with her heart racing. She tried to take a deep breath as she ran her fingers through her hair, thankful for the cool, crisp air outside.

"Eve?"

She turned around to find Archie standing in the door way with a look of confusion and worry.

"Archie, sorry about that." Eve replied, tears stinging her eyes. "I'm not feeling so well, would you mind telling Ruby that I need to take a walk or something?"

"Em...Sure, no problem. Do you want some company?" Archie continued to frown as he observed Eve's demeanor.

"Is everything alright out here?" A woman's voice came from behind Archie, and before Eve knew it; Belle appeared.

Eve didn't even respond and instead began speed walking away down the alleyway out of sight.

"Everything alright, Belle?" Rumple asked as he watched the woman take her seat in the seat opposite him.

"I'm not sure...Do you remember that woman from the store the other day? I think she works here."

Rumple raised an eyebrow, pretending to appear concerned. "Yes? Do you know her?"

Belle shook her head. "No, but she seems to know me."

"I tell you what" Rumple said with a smile as he reached over the table and took her hands in his.

"We can always have a chat with her the next time we come to the diner. Okay? Until then, put her out of your mind."

Belle gave Rumple her beautiful smile. "I'll try."

Eve had moved out of the diner unexpectedly, as well as quitting her job in the diner as graciously as possible without insulting either Ruby or her grandmother.

Using her magic as tactically as she could, Eve was now living in a tree house in the forest on the edge of Storybrooke. The whole process had taken three hours as Eve manipulated the earth around her into carefully detailed construction. Eve was shocked she had lasted three hours because once she was sure everything was done, Eve had passed out before she had even gotten to her new home. When she woke up, it was early morning and there was frost covering her clothes. Ruby hadn't been too pleased when Eve had called her, claiming that Eve hadn't been answering her phone for two whole days; giving her an idea of just how much energy had gone into making the tree house.

Nowadays, Eve met up with Ruby and Archie a couple of times a week each. In the beginning, they often asked to see this new house she found on the edge of the woods but after Eve used all the excuses she could; Ruby started to get mad while Archie stopped asking.

"Are you homeless?" Ruby asked outright one day as they walked along the dock.

Eve stifled a laugh. "You think I'm homeless? Seriously?"

"Well I took the liberty of taking a drive along the forest road. I didn't see any houses near where you described."

"Yeah well I'm new to this land, and directions have never been my strong suit." Eve offered with a smile.

Ruby just glared. "Then go ahead. Get in the car and you can show me yourself."

She began walking in the direction of where her truck was parked, but Eve just rolled her eyes and remained still.

"Ruby, my house is really messy. I haven't had a chance to fix it up yet." Eve explained.

Ruby twirled around with anger in her eyes. "Eve, do you think I'm an idiot or something?"

Eve stopped smiling and stared at the ground silently.

"And I don't see how you haven't had time to fix up the house since you don't have a job – at least from what I can see!"

Eve looked up. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I asked around town! No one has hired you!"

"So you're stalking me now?" Eve accused her, a hint of anger in her own voice.

"We're worried about you, Eve!" Ruby pleaded, her expression softening.

Eve glared out at the ocean beside them, refusing to meet her friend's gaze.

"Granny, Archie – all the friends you've made here in Storybrooke? We're worried about you. One minute, you were settling down perfectly with a home and a job; and the next minute you suddenly hand in your notice and move out. You won't show us where you live now, and you've been lying about getting a new job. That's worrying enough in anyone's situation but you, Eve? You're new to this world and you don't fully understand it yet. It's dangerous for you to act like this!"

"I'm doing alright, Ruby. I promise." Eve assured her quietly, keeping her eyes on the horizon.

"Eve..."

Eve dragged her gaze away and looked at Ruby as her friend stepped in closer and placed her hands on Eve's shoulders.

"What made you drop everything and disappear?"

Eve took a gulp of air as she tried to figure out a new lie, but came up empty.

"You can tell me, ya know. Or at least tell Archie. He talks to people for a living."

Ruby – without realising it – was giving Eve more time to figure out a good lie. A true friend.

"I appreciate the offer, Ruby, but it's...really personal and I don't want to burden you with it. If it's alright with you, I think I'll organise a meeting with Archie and figure it out with him."

To Eve's surprise, Ruby reacted by enveloping her in a huge hug. "I'm just glad to hear that you're willing to open up and talk to someone."

"Now that that's over and done with, I say we eat!" Ruby wrapped her arms around Eve's and began walking to the truck.

"The diner?" Eve asked nervously as they jumped into the truck.

"No excuses. Granny is worried sick about you and I need to show her you're not dead."

"Well...I can't argue with that then." Eve replied miserably as the truck roared to life and they were on their way.

"Well look what the cat dragged in!" Granny called out as Ruby and Eve approached the counter.

"More like what the wolf dragged in." Leroy piped up from his bar stool.

"Very funny Leroy" Ruby sniggered as they took their seats.

"Where have you been, hon'?" Granny asked, leaning against the counter.

Eve shrugged. "I've just been getting to know Storybrooke I guess. I've been trying to figure out this new land on my own two feet."

Granny nodded. "You know what? I get that. But next time you want to go exploring, please call in every once in a while. I would have thrown a search party if Ruby and Archie didn't keep promising me that they had been seeing you in the last month."

Eve felt her heart ache – Granny's comment reminded Eve of her own mother.

"Next time I plan on disappearing, you'll be the first to know." She replied with a teary smile.

"You don't have to walk me to my meeting with Archie, Rubes." Eve repeated for the third time as the two of them walked along the street.

"Archie reckons you're a flyer so yes, yes I do." Ruby replied cheerily.

Eve came to a halt and turned to Ruby with a bewildered expression. "Em...I can't fly, Ruby."

Ruby barked a laugh. "I know that, you idiot! Flyer is a term that Archie uses for any patient he thinks are likely to avoid their sessions."

"Oh...Yeah, that's fair enough." Eve answered dejectedly.

They rounded a corner and Archie's office was in their line of vision. Eve had been terrified of this from the moment Ruby and Archie booked her in for a session. She had a rough idea of what was involved in therapy, and she had every reason to be nervous. Her life in Storybrooke was built on more than several lies, and she hated the secrecy; especially when she was feeding her lies to such genuinely kind people. She knew that this therapy session was for her friends more so than her because if Eve couldn't tell Archie the truth, then she wasn't going to benefit from it in the slightest.

"I think I'm good from here." Eve slowed to a stop again.

Ruby glanced between Eve and Archie's office. "I'm watching you from this spot until I see you walk in that door."

Ruby's stance didn't give Eve any indication that there was room for argument.

"Right then, I'll catch up with you later then." Eve shrugged and walked away.

"Good luck!" Ruby called and Eve gave her a little wave before walking down the street.


	10. Chapter 10

"Eve! I'm so glad you're here!" Archie beamed as Eve stepped into the office while he held the door for her.

"Yeah well Ruby was my escort so I didn't have much say in the matter" Eve replied with a breathy laugh.

Archie closed the door and gestured for Eve to take a seat on the couch while he took a seat in the leather chair opposite.

"Nervous?" Archie asked with a sympathetic smile.

"More like bewildered...I didn't even understand what therapy was until you and Ruby suggested it." Eve answered earnestly.

"Yeah, back in the enchanted forest there were very few places that would have been ideal for therapy."

Eve nodded with a small smile and remained silent in waiting for Archie to get to whatever point he wanted to get to. Several minutes passed by as the two of them stared at one another until Eve's composed expression turned into one of confusion.

"Eh...Don't you have questions?" She asked, feeling insecure all of a sudden.

"As your friend; I have a million questions. As your therapist; I'm simply waiting for you to be honest with both me, and yourself."

Eve frowned. "I'm...I'm not lying to myself. I know what's going on." There was a short pause. "And to say that I'm lying to you guys is a bit harsh."

Archie sat back in his chair, unfazed. "I'm not here to attack you, Eve."

"Right..." Eve unwound slightly and her shoulders relaxed. "But you're going to need a different tactic because I have no idea what I'm doing."

Archie leaned forward with his elbows resting on his lap. "Alright" He nodded. "Tell me about your life back in the Enchanted Forest."

Eve's eyes widened. "Really? You want to talk to me about my life? I thought you were going to ask me questions about...ya know...now?"

"We'll come that." Archie assured her. "Please answer the question."

Eve hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath. "I was raised by a family of farmers. My father was a doctor while my mother ran the farm. My two brothers and I helped Mother with the farm – I would usually sell our produce in the market place. That...That's pretty much it."

Archie failed to suppress a smirk. "You're not getting off that easy, I'm afraid. Tell me about your relationship with your family."

"Em...Well, we all got along really well. My brothers always protected me, even though I'm the eldest. My mother and I had the odd disagreement but it was mainly about me working too much. And then my father...He was wonderful."

"Did you have much in common with your father?" Archie obviously suspected he had struck a nerve.

Eve bit her lip before smiling slightly. "My mother would tell you that we were practically the same person. I mean, I never shared his career choices but he was always the one who supported me in what I wanted to do."

"Running the farm, or...?" Archie persisted.

"Oh, no not farming" Eve answered quickly. "I worked because I wanted to help my mother. No, I actually wanted to be an artist."

Archie's eyes widened a fraction. "I didn't realise you were creative"

Eve shrugged. "Yeah well...It's just one of those talents that don't exactly apply to anything useful so it's not a hobby I was able to do very often back at home."

"And what about here? Have you been practicing in Storybrooke?"

Eve's expression faltered. "No...I haven't practiced in quite a long time."

"Oh?" Archie nodded. "What made you stop?"

Eve's patience had worn thin. "My father died, Archie. Is that what you wanted me to say?"

And yet again, Archie was unfazed. "That must have been hard for you. Was it an illness, or...?"

Eve didn't feel like Archie deserved the information, and he obviously sensed her hesitation.

"Before we continue, Eve, I should have explained this earlier. In therapy, there is a patient; doctor confidentiality."

"I don't understand what that means exactly..." Eve admitted.

"It means that anything you say to me during our session doesn't leave this room. By law, I can't talk about my patients with anyone, not even the patients themselves."

"Oh, I didn't realise." Eve relaxed slightly. It almost sounded too good to be true.

"It was my mistake to have not mentioned it before we began our conversation." Archie waved a hand dismissively. "Now...Let's get back to the topic of your father's passing."

Eve took a moment to stare at Archie for any sign of trickery, but all she saw was honesty. She gave herself a small reassuring nod before she began to speak again.

"My father enlisted in the army as a medical doctor. It was a relatively safe role in the army, but I was still furious with him for putting himself anywhere near the danger. Anyways, a few months passed by and suddenly a group of troops came to our farm bearing bad news. The enemy has advanced much sooner than anyone had anticipated, so my father was in the middle of a battlefield before he even had the chance to get the proper training. He died defending the injured soldiers who were unable to leave their beds and fight."

Archie nodded slowly, and Eve saw the expression in his eyes change ever so slightly. "And how did your mother handle it?"

Eve shrugged. "Mother was bed ridden for a couple of days...But then she was soon back to working on her farm. She would get a bit teary eyed every once and a while, but over all she kept herself composed. My brothers were much the same."

"And you? How did you take it?"

"I..." Eve paused to take a deep breath. "I definitely struggled to deal with it for the first couple of months."

"And what helped you come to terms with it?"

Rumplestilskin appeared in Eve's mind straight away, and she realised in that moment that she probably never would have been able to carry on if it hadn't been for him. Of course, she couldn't tell Archie that.

"I..." She struggled for an answer. "I healed with time."

"Did you have someone to help you through it?" Archie asked, as if he had read her mind.

"What? No!" Eve answered quickly. "I mean, my family helped me. We helped each other."

"I see...So there was no one else to help you? A friend or a...a love interest?" Archie looked nervous as he asked the question.

Eve looked down at Archie's polished shoes. "No. Just my family."

"Eve..." Archie warned in a soft tone, and she was forced to meet his eyes. "You remember the terms of therapy, right? I'm sworn to secrecy; you can tell me the truth."

The pain that Eve had been suppressing for the last month suddenly flooded through her and tears welled in her eyes.

"I'm sorry..." Eve breathed as Archie offered her the box of tissues. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright" Archie reassured her as he sat back down in his chair.

"I've been doing my best not to think about everything but it just...rushed back there."

"Sometimes when we suppress our feelings and emotions, they just come back even worse than before." Archie explained calmly.

Eve simply nodded and did her best to compose herself. When she was somewhat calm, however, she remained silent. She knew she was walking on thin ice by having this conversation with Archie.

"There was someone, then?" Archie asked after a few minutes passed.

"Yes."

"Was it a friend, or something more than that?"

"It was a complicated situation."

"Are they here in Storybrooke?"

"Do we have to talk about this, Archie?"

"It's clear that this person is related to the problems you have been having, Eve. I think it's in your best interest that we talk about it." Archie assured her.

"On one condition" Eve asked slowly, unsure that she was making a smart decision.

"Of course" Archie leaned forward.

"I don't have to tell you who he is." Eve stared intently into Archie's eyes.

He thought about it for a moment. "I'll accept that...So, will you tell me more about him?"

"I don't know where to start" She replied honestly.

"Was he a friend?" Archie encouraged with a small smile.

"He..." Eve trailed off, coming to her senses a little too late.

Without warning, Eve stood up and began buttoning her coat. "I'm sorry Archie. I really am."

Archie got to his feet with a confused expression. "You're leaving? But Eve, we've still got twenty minutes."

"I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me, Archie, I really do but I don't think this is going to help anyone. I get that you and Ruby are worried about me and that this therapy thing was your way of making sure that I'm alright. The truth is, all this therapy is doing is creating problems for me and I don't really need that."

Eve took a step towards Archie, who was still lost for words. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a tight hug.

"I'm really okay, Archie. You don't have to worry about me, I promise." She murmured into his ear as she hugged him.

Before Archie could formulate a sentence, Eve had pulled away and was waving him goodbye at the door. She was down the stairs and out the door before Archie had even taken a step.

"What the hell, Eve?"

Eve groaned at the sound of Ruby's voice. She stopped walking and turned around to find Ruby sitting on a public bench outside of Archie's office.

"You're not supposed be out for another twenty minutes!"

"Ruby..." Eve began, but was interrupted by Archie's exist out of the door.

"Eve, you really didn't have to walk out like that." Archie explained as he caught his breath.

"You walked out!" Ruby echoed with a horrified tone.

Eve felt extremely outnumbered and felt the need to be defensive. "I thanked Archie for his time, Ruby, but I didn't feel like I was benefiting from it."

"That's a load of crap." Ruby replied with a glare in her eyes.

"Ruby, stop." Archie warned.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Eve's own temper flared.

"You care too much about keeping your secrets rather than just letting your friends help you!" Ruby continued, ignoring Archie and focusing her anger on Eve.

"Everyone is allowed to have their secrets, including me!" Eve replied defiantly.

"Ladies..." Archie made an attempt to break the argument, but Ruby was too quick with her reply.

"Yeah, but your secrets are hurting the people around you!"

"What? That doesn't make any sense? How could I possibly be hurting anyone?!" Eve's anger was continuing to rise, and she knew too well what was coming. She was going to have to leave if this escalated any further.

"You're making us all worried sick about you, Eve! Don't you get that? You need to talk to someone about whatever is going on! And besides, real friends don't keep secrets from one another – especially after everything we've done for you!"

Eve's rage was becoming too much – she was going to have to leave the conversation before they had the chance to reconcile. That fact only made her more frustrated.

"Ruby, I'm sorry but I can't do this. Archie; again, I'm sorry it didn't work out."

And with that, Eve turned her back on her two only friends and walked away as quickly as she could. It was taking all her willpower not to flip every car parked along the pavement as she walked. Even though she was out of regular earshot, her magic let her hear something that broke her heart.

"I'm sorry Archie, but I'm done with her. She isn't worth any more of our time."

As soon as Eve rounded the corner, she dove into the nearest alleyway and disappeared in a cloud of golden smoke.

Eve had been utilising her self-made isolation the best way she knew how; practising magic. For the last fortnight, she had been using the forest surrounding her home as a haven as well as a practise range. Of course, she didn't have a teacher to teach her any obvious new tricks so she had been improvising and making up skills as she went along. At one point, she had had to make a point of figuring out a permanent cloaking spell that hid her tree house from view, as there had been several incidences were citizens of Storybrooke had enjoyed venturing off the forest trail a little too far for Eve's convenience.

Despite having no one to visit or catch up with, Eve still made a point of exploring the town and getting to know her way around. Naturally, there were several occasions where she had to dive into the nearest open door or alleyway to avoid the likes of Archie, Granny, Ruby and Belle – which was slightly degrading for Eve. Strangely as well as fortunately, she had yet to stumble into Rumplestilskin.

In fact, Eve was slightly surprised that Rumple hadn't come looking for her. She understood perfectly that he didn't remember her for some unknown reason, of course, but the Rumplestilskin she once knew would have been slightly intrigued by a girl who scurried away from him every time their paths had crossed. Not to mention the fact that she had stupidly admitted to believing that Belle was dead. The Rumplestilskin she knew would have most definitely wanted to find out more if Belle was in any potential danger.

One afternoon, Eve was walking along Main Street with two loaded bags of groceries in each hand. A small part of her suspected that the bags might not be able to support the weight inside them, but Eve was new to the concept of plastic and therefore had too much faith. Before she had time to think of a way to sneakily utilise her magic, the bag exploded and the groceries fell to the ground. Eve knelt down immediately and began gathering all the groceries into a neat pile; too annoyed to even consider if there were any witnesses to the mini disaster.

"Looks like you over-estimated the capabilities of plastic bags."

Eve froze, recognising the voice instantly. She slowly lifted her gaze until she saw Rumplestilskin standing before her. He was leaning on a cane with a golden handle with two gloved hands gently keeping it upright, and his black overcoat managed to make him appear taller than his usually smaller stature.

"Looks that way" Eve replied evenly as she composed herself and went back to gathering her items.

Without looking at Rumple, and even though she was acutely aware that he was staring at her; Eve dug her hand into her coat pocket and used her magic to conjure up new shopping bags. Without changing her expression even slightly, she extracted the new bags from her pocket.

"Good thing you came prepared." Rumplestilskin commented smugly as he watched her keenly.

Eve just gave him a dry smile before packing her bags; still kneeling on the ground in front of him. She noticed that he hadn't even offered to help her, which wasn't something that surprised her.

"I've been led to believe that you're the girl they found out in the woods back when the curse was broken?" Rumple stated as he watched Eve rise to her feet with newly packed bags in hand.

"That's correct" Eve replied evenly. It was unnervingly difficult to have Rumple look at and talk to her like a complete stranger.

"What were you doing before the curse broke, if you don't mind me asking?" Rumple asked as he shifted his weight on the cane slightly.

"I didn't have a life in Storybrooke before the curse broke." Eve answered a little too honestly than she should've.

"So your last memories were of the Enchanted Forest?" Rumple's eyes narrowed, and Eve knew that look in his eyes all too well. He was intrigued; something that was rare to achieve in Rumplestilskin.

"That's the truth" Eve replied curtly. "If you don't mind, Rum-...Mr. Gold, I should get going before I have a repeat of the disaster you witnessed."

To her mild surprise, Rumple didn't call her out on her thoughtless stumble in addressing his name and instead simply stood to the side as Eve passed by. Without looking back, Eve looked straight ahead until she rounded the corner out of sight before disappearing into a golden smoke.

Eve was worried. The encounter with Rumple had been too long and too close-up for her liking, and she was almost convinced that if she hasn't been before; she was most definitely on his radar now. Since the incident, Eve hadn't visited Storybrooke for the last week just in case Rumple made another point of crossing her path "accidently" once more. She was sure that he wouldn't find her home, however, and so continued spending her day practising magic within the walls of her cloaking spell. In theory, she could've stayed this way for as long as she wanted. At least until she was sure that Rumple's attention would focus on something else over time.

Somewhere in the second week after her encounter with Rumple, Eve was enjoying her day by rejuvenating the forest floor around her. She enjoyed it so much so, that the sunset shocked her. She decided to sit on a log that was now flourishing with bright green moss and yellow tulips, and watch the sunset through the trees. Once the sun had set and the sky was getting darker and darker, Eve decided to conjure up small orbs of golden energy which acted as enchanting night lights. Just like the millions of times before, Eve proceeded to wave her hands through the air like a conductor as she watched the golden orbs dance and twirl through the air. She became so invested that she didn't sense the presence behind her.

"Isn't that pretty"

The sneer was familiar to Eve's ears, but the shock of the sudden presence caused her to roll forward without hesitation. She came up into a crouch and turned before throwing the golden energy in the direction of the voice. However, while the orbs were on-target, they instead burned a clean whole through a thick tree trunk and several that were directly in-line behind it.

Eve only had time to curse before she felt a hand close around her throat as she was slammed against a tree. Rumplestilskin appeared in front of her with anger in his eyes as his face edged close to hers.

Instead of cowering in fear, however, Eve's anger flared and she expelled a wave of energy. This simple defense normally wouldn't have affected someone as powerful as the Dark One, but it was so unexpected that Rumple dropped his grip and stumbled back.

Unfortunately, this slip-up on Rumple's part only made his temper surface and Eve knew that she too had just made a mistake. Milliseconds before Eve was sliced up by scythes of purple energy, she shrouded herself in golden smoke and appeared several meters away to Rumple's right.

"Rumple..." She tried to call, but was forced to stop talking and instead dodge another attack.

"How dare you try to take on the Dark One!" Rumple roared through gritted teeth as Eve did her best to deflect the last of his assault.

"Rumple!" Eve insisted. "For goodness sake, Rumple! Just calm down for one second, and STOP ATTACKING ME!"

With that, Eve conjured a bubble of golden energy around her and stared at Rumple pleadingly until he came to his senses. She lowered the shield when she saw his expression gradually transition from rage to a slightly aggressive wonderment.

"What are you?" He hissed, pointed a threatening finger – something that any other person would just look stupid doing, Eve always imagined.

"I'm Eve" She replied in a calm tone, even though her heart was beating a mile a minute.

"That's not what I asked!" Rumple growled through clenched teeth.

"That's a complicated answer..." Eve replied apologetically. And it was true; Rumplestilskin had never got around to finding out exactly why Eve was the way she was. Or if he did, he never got around to telling her before Regina's curse forced them to part ways.

"That's not good enough" Rumple sang in an eerily aggressive tone.

"Tell me about it" Eve replied dryly. "Let's just say that I can do magic, and leave it at that for the time being."

Rumple clenched and unclenched his jaw, obviously fighting the urge to use violence again. "What are you doing in Storybrooke?"

Eve frowned at the question. "What do you mean? I'm here for the same reason the rest of you are"

"If that's true, then maybe you can tell me why you didn't have a life in Storybrooke during the curse?"

"Again, that's a complicated answer..." Eve replied shakily.

The aggression from Rumple was nearly unbearable. She loved this person, and yet all he saw was a stranger who was angering him so much so that he was fighting the urge to kill her. It was all Eve could do not to break down in tears right in front of him.

Rumple's temper was about to flare, but he clearly saw the desperation in Eve's eyes. His expression softened into one of genuine confusion.

"Do you think we know each other or something?" He asked with a frown.

Eve barked a bitter laugh. "You really think I'd mistake the Dark One for someone else?"

"Fair enough" Rumple admitted reluctantly. "Then why don't I remember you? Because, honestly, I think I'd remember coming across someone like you."

"I haven't a clue. Really, I don't. I was hoping you could tell me." Eve replied as evenly as she could without her voice breaking.

"You're useless, you know that?!" Rumple's voice rose slightly, clearly frustrated.

"Oh I'm not useless, Rumplestilskin. If there's anyone to blame for this situation, it's you!"

"Me?! You blame me?" Rumple was genuinely surprised. "The nerve!"

Eve didn't respond and instead decided to count to ten. Now she was the one fighting the urge to kick Rumple in the face.

"Well since you seem to be the one with the memories, care to enlighten me?" Rumple spoke up in a sarcastic tone. "How do we know each other?"

Eve opened her mouth to tell the full truth, but something stopped her. The image of Belle came into her mind, and suddenly, Eve knew what she had to say. The decision alone caused her eyes to sting with tears.

"You...We...We knew each other shortly before Regina's curse broke out. You saw me use magic, and you offered to be my teacher."

Rumple's eyes narrowed as he listened intently, waiting for more information.

"But I declined your offer." Eve finished abruptly, composing herself enough to look convincing as possible.

"If you're lying to me..." Rumple began.

"Are you happy?" Eve cut him off, and Rumple's eyes widened in bewilderment.

"Excuse me?"

"Are you happy? With Belle, with the way your life has worked out here?" Eve explained further.

"I mean...Yes, but what has that got to do with..." Rumple frowned in confusion.

"Then don't ask any more questions" Eve cut him off again with a firm voice. "If you want things to stay the way they are, then you won't ask any more questions. You'll leave now, and never speak to me again."

Rumple stared at Eve for the longest time. "Only if you swear that you have no intention to harm my Belle."

Eve had to catch her breath. For some reason, the comment cut through her. "You have my word"

With a hesitant nod, Rumple began to walk in the other direction.

"Wait, Rumplestilskin?" Eve called after a thought crossed her mind.

"Please don't...Don't tell anyone about my magic."

"Trust me dearie" Rumple scoffed. "The last thing this town needs is another bloody sorcerer. Your secret is safe with me."

And with that, Rumple stepped through the purple mist and disappeared.


	11. Chapter 11

Several days later, Eve ventured back into town for the first time in a while. After bringing a miserable conclusion to her dilemma with Rumplestilskin, Eve figured it was time to make amends with Archie and Ruby. The coward in her forced Eve to avoid the diner in case she was verbally attacked by Ruby's other friends – not to mention Granny's wrath for being as ungrateful as Eve had led everyone to believe. Instead, she was hoping to get Archie's forgiveness before she dared to reach out to Ruby.

On the way to picking up supplies, Eve appeared outside of Archie's office in the hopes that he wasn't in the middle of a session with one of Storybrooke's more troubled citizens. Taking a deep breath, Eve opened the door and walked up the stairs with as much grace and composure as she could muster. Unfortunately, Archie didn't employ a secretary so the only option she had was to walk straight up to the door of his office room and knock. Within seconds, Archie opened the door with a smile – which faded into a look of genuine surprise.

"Eve?"

"Are you in the middle of anything, Archie?" Eve asked with an apologetic tone.

"Uh..No, not at all. Come in." Archie replied bewildered as he opened to door wider for Eve to step through.

"Take a seat, Eve" He urged and Eve obeyed nervously.

"Now...Are you here as my patient or as...?" Archie began to ask, but Eve shook her head.

"I'm here as the idiot who wants to apologise for being inconsiderate and selfish to someone who tried to be my friend." Eve answered with a small smile.

To her relief, Archie broke out into a smile. "That's...That's really good to hear."

"Would you be willing to forgive me if I promised to be as honest as I can with you?" Eve asked slowly.

Archie chuckled and was suddenly on his feet. "Come 'ere" He said as he opened his arms.

Eve didn't need to be told twice as she stood and gave Archie a hug. "I'm sorry, Archie."

"It's alright. I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have pushed you." He murmured in her ear.

The pair parted and stood smiling at each other for several moments.

"I was just about to take my lunch and eat it in the public gardens. Do you want to join me?" Archie asked with a crooked smile. Eve had forgotten how kind this man was.

"I'd love that" Eve replied earnestly.

"So what have you been up to lately?" Archie asked as the two of them strolled along the pathway beside the large pond.

"Well I've been spending a lot of time trying to get to know my way around town." Eve answered honestly.

"That's good. Found any favourite spots yet?"

"Em...I hadn't really thought about it." Eve replied. "I guess I like this place a lot...The docks are pretty nice to walk around too."

"Have you been up to the woods much? You'd probably like it up there."

Eve took a deep breath. "Actually...I'm living up there right now."

Archie's steps faltered. "In the woods? You're living in the woods?"

"I know that's weird, but yes, yes I am." Eve admitted sheepishly as they took a seat on a bench over-looking the pond.

"Are you staying in a tent or in a shed?" Archie was bewildered.

Eve bit her lip thoughtfully, debating how to answer. "In a tree house..."

"A treehouse" Archie repeated in disbelief.

"It's perfect really. I promise." Eve interjected quickly. "Back in the Enchanted Forest, my brothers and I taught ourselves how to build wooden houses up in the trees that surrounded our cottage. After quitting my job at the diner, I was spending all that time building it."

"So why didn't you just tell us the truth?" Archie asked after a moment.

"Because I was embarrassed; I mean...I figured if I told you the truth, everyone would get offended, or at least force me to find a proper house to live in. But the truth is, the woods remind me of home and I really like living up there."

"Don't you get cold up there?" Archie asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Not yet, I haven't" Eve answered. "I've used moss as a way to insulate the tree house. There isn't a draft in the entire structure really."

Archie remained silent as he looked out at the pond thoughtfully.

"What? What's wrong?" Eve asked nervously.

"Nothing..." Archie responded before breaking out into a smile. "I just really want to see this treehouse now!"

Eve couldn't help but laugh. "I think I can make that happen sometime."

The reconciliation between Ruby and Eve had gone far better than expected. Of course, Archie helped by easing both parties in to a relaxed environment, but Eve was still shocked by Ruby's understanding; making the whole thing more guilty on Eve's part. That day had ended with Ruby and Archie following Eve into the forest so that they could finally see where she had settled down.

"How far is it exactly?" Ruby asked as she watched Archie struggle to keep up.

"Just a couple more minutes" Eve answered from a few steps ahead.

At this point, Eve was stretching her abilities quite thin as she tried to deconstruct the cloaking spell from half a mile away – something that was just as difficult as it sounded. Eventually, the three friends came to the set of logs that acted as Eve's patio. Eve admired her own handy work and she gazed at moss-covered ladder that she had mentally constructed literally seconds before they had approached the tree house.

"Eve...This looks amazing!" Ruby exclaimed as she gazed up at the tree house with the excited look of a child.

"Can we go up?" Archie asked in between breaths, looking just as excited despite struggling for air.

"Of course! Guests first." Eve replied, stepping to the side and watched her friends climb the ladder.

Life had improved immensely for Eve in the coming weeks. Ruby and Archie were quickly becoming the best couple of friends that Eve had ever had, and through them; she was quickly becoming a part of the community in Storybrooke.

However, there was a crisis that Eve was made aware of and it was a tricky situation to be in for Eve. The town sheriff, Emma Swan, along with Snow White had been sucked into a portal and was somehow back in the Enchanted Forest. Prince Charming, and his grandson, Henry, had been working with the town to figure out a way to get them back.

What made the situation tricky for Eve was the fact that she probably could have helped them in a big way. While Eve may not have been as knowledgeable as Rumplestilskin, she was still a very powerful sorceress – definitely more so than the town mayor, Regina, who had apparently chilled out since the whole casting a curse on the entire Enchanted Forest incident. The town would have much preferred to enlist Eve's help for sure, if they had known her secrets, but as far as anyone knew, Eve was a former farmer who only knew how to help by showing Henry her "awesome" tree house every once in a while. And when the town eventually did have to approach Rumplestilskin, Eve had had to take a step back and let everyone figure it out without her support.

Eventually, the sheriff and Snow White returned to Storybrooke and all was well. At least for a while anyway. Along with Emma and Snow came a one-handed pirate called Killian, and Regina's mother, Cora – who evidently was much worse than her daughter.

Archie, had also been killed which was devastating to just about everyone living in Storybrooke. There had been talk that Regina had been responsible, and Eve was ready to kill her until Belle managed to find Archie – very much alive – in the barracks of Killian's ship.

Things went from bad to worse, and Eve's moral compass was about to self-combust.

"Rumplestilskin?" Eve called as she stepped into the pawn shop, despite the "closed" sign hanging on the door.

She knew there wasn't a fear of running into Belle, as she had heard that Belle had crossed the town line. This meant that – ironically enough – Rumple was experiencing exactly what Eve was going through with him, as Belle had no recollection of her life in the Enchanted Forest with Rumple.

Several moments passed, and Rumple emerged from the golden curtain looking mildly annoyed already.

"Considering the fact that you were the one who told me to leave you alone, this is rather hypocritical. Don't you think?"

"I want to help." Eve explained, ignoring the pointless comment.

Rumple's eyes widened a fraction. "You can help Belle?"

"What?" Eve was caught off-guard. "No"

Quickly realising how insensitive she sounded, Eve's expression softened immediately.

"I'm sorry. If I knew how to help Belle, I would." She said evenly. "But with this Cora situation; I can help."

"No." Rumple said immediately.

Eve frowned. "No?" She echoed. "You've seen my magic. You know I could easily-

Rumple raised a hand to interrupt her. "I said no."

"Why?" Eve asked indignantly, being vaguely reminded of the countless times Rumple used that tone with her when he told her she needed to pace her training.

"Because Cora is a nasty piece of work, and is very powerful. The last thing anyone needs is another powerful entity to walk onto the chess board."

"But I could..." Eve began but Rumple shook his head.

"While I'm well aware that you've got potential – I know for a fact that you can't be powerful enough to beat her. Maybe with the right training from someone such as myself, I would consider it. But like you pointed out, you declined that offer a long time ago and so you're just running on instinct. If you were to fail, Cora wouldn't kill you. Instead, she would just use you to add to the destruction she already wants to bring down on this town."

"Rumple..."

"You're staying out of it, and that's final Eve." Rumple interrupted her yet again, and the finality in his tone killed any spark of argument left in Eve. "Now please leave my shop."

"Fine" Eve growled, beginning to walk out before stopping suddenly. "But listen..."

"What?" Rumple asked, clearly losing patience.

"If things get bad, ask for my help. Please." Eve felt stupid saying it out loud, but she figured it was the only way she could get such an idea across to the man she loved.

Rumple stared at her for several moments before giving her a solemn nod, and with that, Eve left the shop.

The days that followed were uneasy for Eve. While she kept in mind what Rumplestilskin had said to her, Eve was still within earshot of every situation that Storybrooke was facing with Cora's presence in the town. The only way she could cope was by pretending to have fallen ill so that she could hide away in her tree house and escape the madness without having the temptation to get involved.

It was only when she was on her latest supply run when she overheard Leroy talking about Rumplestilskin's departure from Storybrooke in an attempt to search for his son, Balefire. Hearing it had shocked Eve so badly that she had dropped the carton of eggs in her hand. Without delay, Eve left a basket full of still-to-be-bought groceries before jogging to the diner to find Ruby.

"Is it true?" Eve asked intently as she approached the counter where Ruby was working.

"Is what true?" Ruby frowned at the intensity in her friend's eyes.

"About Rumple-Mr Gold leaving Storybrooke?"

"Eh, yeah; Henry and Emma went with him this morning." Ruby explained with a look of confusion. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"I thought we weren't able to cross town lines?" Eve asked as Granny appeared from the kitchen.

"We're not" Granny piped up with a fresh pot of coffee in her hand. "But somehow, that little weasel managed it."

"How do you know he hasn't lost his memories?" Eve looked from Ruby to Granny with a serious gaze.

"David was talking to Emma earlier. Gold used a spell to make sure he wouldn't lose his memories." Ruby answered slowly, looking at Granny nervously.

Eve's shoulders relaxed slightly, but she quickly sensed the confusion in her behaviour. "Well, it's just good to hear that there's a chance we can leave Storybrooke too. Maybe Mr Gold can show us how when he gets back?"

Granny barked a laugh. "I highly doubt that, honey. Mr Gold doesn't do anything for free."

"That's true" Ruby agreed, all confusion and concern leaving her face. "Now then, what can I get ya?"


	12. Chapter 12

Eve watched from a distance as Ruby and the others met at the docks. There had been talk of Emma and Rumple returning in Killian's pirate ship, but nothing prepared any of them as they watched the ship fly into land. Also nothing prepared Eve when she saw what was left of Rumplestilskin as a group of them transported him from the ship and into the back of David's truck.

Rumple was dying, and Eve didn't know what to do. There was so much buzz and chaos as Cora was an even bigger threat now that Regina had taken her mother's side over the rest of the town. Eve tried to find Ruby, but found Archie who was helping the Blue Fairy organise the terrified townspeople into the town hall.

"Archie!" Eve called over the crowd.

"Eve!" Archie called back, and hurried his way over.

"Archie, what's going on with Mr Gold?" Eve went straight to the point.

"Oh, um, well..." Archie stammered, clearly distracted by the crowd around them. "Apparently Hook attacked Gold back in New York. Poisoned him with something incurable, according to Ruby. Everyone thinks he's dying."

In that moment, Eve's world crumbled and all that remained was an echo of Archie's words.

"I have to go..." Eve murmured, before quickly disappearing in the crowd and as soon as she was sure no one was watching; she disappeared in the golden smoke.

Appearing outside the back of the shop, Eve looked at the building just as she watched a protective spell envelope the building. Without delay, she rushed to the windows and walked along until she came to a view of a small room where Emma was standing with Snow and David, and Balefire. It took her a moment to spot Rumplestilskin, who was lying on his back on a small couch.

Eve had to duck down in order to avoid being seen, but she had enough time to take in the sight of Rumplestilskin. He was pale, with half-closed eyes and his expression was one of pain and frustration. It was a sight that Eve was sure she would never be able to forget. It took every ounce of willpower not to tear down the protective spell and march into the shop, but Eve knew the protective spell was there for a reason.

Slowly standing to her feet again, Eve peered in only to see that Rumple's head was turned in her direction. There were less people in the back room with him, with Snow White being the only one to stay. However, she had her back to the window where Eve stood looking in so she felt safe in exchanging looks with Rumplestilskin.

The man didn't look impressed, but he obviously could tell that Eve was in distress. In a subtle movement as to not alert Snow, Rumple locked eyes with Eve as he brought his hand up and tapped a finger against his ear several times. Eve understood and gave him a curt nod; he was inviting her to listen to whatever was to follow.

Eve performed a minor cloaking spell on herself before using her magic to concentrate her hearing on the inside of the back room. Her magic was so intense that she could hear Snow's heartbeat, as well as hearing the terrifyingly faint beat of Rumple's. She listened to Rumple asked Snow to find something in the cupboard for him and she obeyed, only to freeze up when she saw what lay inside. With a paled expression, she turned back around to show Rumple a black and white candle. Rumple went on to tell Snow to use it to save him, and immediately Eve figured it out – 'a life for a life'. This was a typical genius plot of Rumplestilskin's where he saved himself and yet somehow managed to harm others. In this situation, Eve couldn't help but smile. Within an hour, Snow had returned and had managed to kill Cora while returning Rumplestilskin to his full health.

From the edge of the trees, Eve watched Rumplestilskin pay his respects to Cora's grave alongside a broken hearted Regina. She didn't eavesdrop on the conversation, but it was obvious to Eve that Regina would be looking to spill Snow's blood sometime. Eve liked Snow, so yet again; her moral compass was struggling. She watched Rumple walk away from Regina and the graveside and he disappeared among the tombstones.

"Should I be worried that I have a stalker?"

Eve was startled, and twirled around as her fists unintentionally began to glow. Rumple even took a step back just as Eve composed herself and ceased the aggressive stance.

"That was pretty clever – even for you." Eve said with a mild expression, folding her arms and tucking her now normal hands under her armpits.

"You certainly seemed worried, considering I'm simply your would-be teacher from once upon a time." Rumple's eyes narrowed as he prompted himself on his cane.

Eve glared – Rumple was pretty annoying as this stranger. "Any progress with Belle's memories?"

"Why should you care?" He frowned with anger in his eyes.

Eve shook her head in frustration, questioning why she was putting herself through this. "It's a simple question."

Rumple glowered. "No. No progress. I don't suppose you have any knowledge on the subject?"

Eve shook her head. "Only as a victim, I'm afraid."

"What is the point of all this, may I ask?" Rumple asked suddenly, looking very irritated suddenly.

Eve responded by tilting her head to the side in confusion, to which Rumple only growled.

"You tell me to stay away. To not ask questions. And yet, here you are yet again in front of me. Why? What's the point? You clearly know more than you're letting on."

Eve clenched her jaw and blinked back frustrated tears. "I'm not going to tell you anything, Rumple. It's for your own good."

"Yeah, I've heard all this" Rumple waved a hand at her. "So if that's the case; stop bothering. Leave me alone. I mean it."

Eve stared at Rumple, at a loss for words as he disappeared in purple mist right before her. As she blinked back tears, she realised that she deserved that. She was being irrational by torturing herself as well frustrating Rumple, who was dealing with enough already. These pointless encounters were just selfish and nothing more.

"Are you alright, Eve? You're particularly quiet today." Ruby said quietly as she placed an empty cup on her tray.

"Yeah, I'm good." Eve lied, giving her friend a small smile before sliding off the stool. "I'm actually going to head. It might be time to find a job or something."

"Wait...You haven't had a job for all this time?" Ruby paused, looking at Eve suspiciously.

"Well...yeah?" Eve frowned, realising that she made a stupid mistake.

Since Eve has quit her job at the diner, she had been conjuring up currency whenever she needed it. There were a few hairy moments in the beginning when she made several errors in copying every detail, but soon her magic adapted to trick with the help of her artistic eye. However, this wasn't what she could tell Ruby and so leapt at the first rational reason that came to her head.

"I mean, I saved quite a bit of money when I worked here in those few weeks. And for the majority of my time since then, I've been hunting in the woods and scavenging for berries."

"Eve!" Ruby nearly yelled, horrified. "You don't need to do that here! You must be starving right now!"

"What?" Eve nearly laughed in her friend's face. "Not at all, I'm fine! I promise."

Ruby shook her head in mild disgust. "Well look, if you can't find a job today; you can have one here. I'll be damned if you have to hunt again when you've got a grocery store at your disposal!"

Eve let out a laugh finally. "Okay, thanks Rubes. I'll see you later."

Without actually planning to, Eve found herself spending the day talking to several businesses in town about hiring. She visited Moe's florist and the grocery store.

Her last stop was local bar, the White Rabbit. She walked into the place at around 4.30 in hopes to get ahead of the customers who would be finishing work soon enough just to get themselves a drink. In truth, this wasn't her ideal job but she had done the odd spot of work for the tavern back home, and it was the only job where she had genuinely useful experience in.

The manager she spoke with was relatively nice and Eve had a coffee as they chatted about the job. They were in the middle of reminiscing about the business back in the Enchanted Forest when Eve heard the clacking of high heels as well as the sound of a cane hitting the wooden floors. She didn't have to turn around to know who both sound belonged to, and the change in expression on the manager's face was a giveaway in itself.

"Mr. Gold...What can I do for you? The rent for this month was already paid..." The manager stood up straight, but looked still managed to look mildly terrified.

"I'm perfectly aware" Eve heard Gold's voice behind her. "No, I'm here to treat Lacey to a drink.

Lacey? Who the hell was Lacey? Eve had to turn her head slightly to see the shape of Belle, who was wearing a completely different attire from her usual.

"Triple whiskey. I'll get the pool table set up" Belle replied in a gruff tone before sauntering off to leave Rumple at the bar standing behind Eve.

"And for you, Mr. Gold?"

"Sparkling water please." Rumple answered as he walked straight up to the bar to stand beside the stool where Eve sat.

"Lacey?" Eve asked quietly, looking straight ahead as she took another sip of coffee.

"False memories courtesy of Regina" Rumple replied dryly as he watched the manager pour the drinks.

Eve wasn't sure how to respond. "Well...I'm sorry to hear that."

Rumple shot her a look through the mirror behind the shelves of drink, and when Eve met him with a look of genuine sympathy; his expression softened slightly before giving her a curt nod.

"So here's your résumé" The manager grabbed Eve's attention by sliding a sheet of paper across the bar as Rumple walked away.

"Thanks..." Eve gave him a small smile before glancing at the back of Rumple's head. "Do you mind if I take this home and fill it out there?"

"Sure thing. Drop it in next time you're around." The manager gave Eve a smile before returning to cleaning glasses.

"Will do. Thank you for your time" Eve replied, sliding off her chair.

She headed for the exit, but walked slowly in an attempt to get a better look at this Lacey character that had replaced the Belle that Rumplestilskin loved dearly.

As much as Eve tried not to, this turn in events bothered her. Rumple was experiencing almost exactly what Eve had been going through since she woke up in Storybrooke, and yet, Rumple was dealing with it in a completely different way than she was. While Eve had purposely crossed Rumple's path several times, she ultimately decided that she wouldn't try to correct his memories as long as he was happy. Rumple wasn't doing that with Belle and instead was spending even more time with her, so it seemed. And was Rumple even truly happy anymore? Because it didn't seem like it, and so where did that leave Eve? The worst thing about it was that Eve didn't have anyone to talk about it with. Unless...

"Archie?"

"Hey, Eve! Consider me impressed that you finally managed to work a phone" Her friend's voice brought a smile to Eve's face.

"Thanks...Listen Archie, would it be alright if we set up another session?" Eve asked nervously as she made her way across the car park.

"Oh wow, really?" He sounded genuinely surprised. "Of course, no problem. Are you free tomorrow afternoon?"

"That's perfect actually, thanks Archie. I guess I'll see you then."

Eve hung up after hearing Archie's goodbye. With a quick glance of her surroundings, she walked into golden smoke and stepped onto the landing of her tree house. As soon as she put the phone away, Eve cursed herself. Did she really want to do this? Was she desperate enough emotionally to want to tell Archie about her situation with Rumplestilskin? If she did that, it would be difficult not to mention that she was secretly the most powerful sorcerer in Storybrooke alongside the Dark One. She was about to call Archie again to cancel, but she knew that it would only worry Archie and she didn't need to do that if she could avoid it.


	13. Chapter 13

"So what made you decide to come back, Eve?"

Eve shifted her weight slightly on the couch. She was terrified that this was a horrible idea as she looked across at Archie.

"I've been dealing with some things..." Eve replied slowly. "Things that I can't really talk about to anyone."

"I see, and so you've decided to come to therapy because of the confidentiality terms that come with it."

"I would love to be able to talk about everything with Ruby...And you, outside of this office but...I can't. It's not possible."

"Are there secrets that you're keeping for someone you care about?" Archie guessed in a calm voice, although the look in his eyes was nothing but worried.

"It's more that I'm keeping secrets _because_ of someone I care about." Eve reluctantly corrected him.

"Go on" Archie urged after a few moments of silence.

Eve sighed. "Can I ask you a question?"

Archie chewed the inside of his cheek in response to the change in conversation. "Sure, go ahead"

"If someone is blissfully ignorant about something...like they don't know the full truth but are still somehow incredibly happy...Is it the right thing to just walk away? To just leave them to happily live in a lie?"

Archie blew air through his cheeks, thinking. "I guess it depends on whether or not this lie is hurting the person. Is it hurting them in this situation?"

It was Eve's turn to sit back and contemplate. "They're not in any danger, if that's what you're asking. And they're really happy – at least they were, until recently."

"What changed?" Archie leaned forward, passively intrigued.

"Well...Let's just say the source of their happiness was taken away from them."

"And so you're left wondering where you stand in terms of leaving this person living their lie." Archie summarised.

"Basically...I mean, the things they're going through; they're dealing with it in their own way. But I can't help but feel like this person could use my help, if they..."

"If they...?" Archie encouraged her.

"If they remembered."

Archie nodded, even though his face was full of confusion. "If they remembered what, Eve?"

"If they...If they remembered who I was."

There was a moment of silence. "Are you talking about the person I think you're talking about it?"

"I highly doubt it" Eve scoffed, and then realised where Archie's mind was going. "I'm not talking about Belle, Archie."

"I see" Archie backtracked from whatever he was thinking about.

"So what should I do?" Eve asked after a few beats. "Should I let them know who I am?"

"Again, it depends."

"On what?!" Eve groaned, and then immediately regretted it. "I'm sorry. Sorry. What does it depend on?"

"It depends, Eve, on what you are to this person. There's a chance you could complicate their life even further if you told them the truth."

Eve gave a solemn nod. It was strangely helpful to hear another person say the words aloud.

"But...there's also a chance that they might be comforted by having someone special there to help them."

Eve ran her fingers through her hair and exhaled deeply.

"If you told me the relationship, Eve, my answer wouldn't be so vague."

"It's really complicated, Archie..."

"Well it's a good thing you're in therapy then." Archie finished quickly with a firm, but gentle tone.

Eve stared at him for the longest time. "You can't tell a soul."

"By law I can't, Eve. You know that" Archie reassured her. "And as your friend, I'd never tell a secret you wanted me to keep."

"We knew each other back in the Enchanted Forest – for several years up until the curse broke out. This person is the reason why I wasn't affected by the curse in the same way the rest of you were."

"Go on." Archie's professionalism at this point was impressing Eve to no end.

"We were supposed to reunite once the curse had been broken, and magic was the only way I broke out my own version of the curse. But when all of that came to pass, the person who I was suppose to reunite with...They didn't remember me."

Eve's eyes filled with tears, but she took another deep breath and continued.

"And whatever happened – whatever went wrong. I was too late. He was already happy with someone else and I...I couldn't tell him. Even though I miss him so much that it hurts me..."

"Eve..." Archie looked like he was in distress himself.

"And the worst thing is, while I'm in pain every damn time I see him – he sees me as nothing more than a stranger."

Eve knew Archie wanted to give her a hug, but instead he limited himself to passing her the box of tissues. They sat in silence until Eve composed herself enough for them to continue.

"And so you've been going through this ever since you first woke up in Storybrooke."

"Yes"

"And why exactly did you feel the need to deal with this alone in the first place?"

"No one knew about us even back home – not even my own family. This person and I...We have always agreed that it was safer for me if no one knew that I had any connection to him. It was just too dangerous, and I still believe that to be true."

"And even this..." Archie gestured between the two of them. "Would you consider this conversation dangerous?"

Eve thought about it for a moment. "No...At least not yet."

"There are more secrets, aren't there?" Archie asked with a hint of dread in his voice.

"There are, but I'm not struggling with those ones." Eve answered slowly and cautiously.

Archie blinked, and nodded to himself. "Of course. Forgive me, we went off topic...So to summarise; you had this person in your life back in the Enchanted Forest. He managed to save you from a part of the curse, and when you woke up from that you're supposed to reunite. However, he doesn't remember you, and in the time you were gone, he found someone else who made him happy, so you made the decision to keep your distance. But now that he isn't happy anymore, you're unsure if you should stick to the original plan."

Eve nodded, thankful now that she was fully composed.

"Okay..." Archie nodded to himself, scratching his chin as he stared at Eve thoughtfully. "Well...I've always been a big believer of telling the truth, Eve. I know that sometimes, a lie can be easier to handle but there's a lot of complication that comes with keeping the truth to yourself. I think that regardless of what is going on in this person's world, they deserve to make their own decisions – and that includes having all their memories."

"But that's the thing" Eve said eventually. "I don't even know how he lost his memories in the first place, let alone how to help him regain them!"

"It's quite simple, Eve" Archie smiled sadly. "You'll just have to tell him."

Eve was unsure how to feel after her session with Archie. She genuinely believed that Archie wouldn't even tell anyone about the session, let alone what was said, but she still felt different in his company. However, this issue was demoted quickly on the list of Eve's problems as the town was facing a new threat in the form of an outsider called Greg. Emma Swan was convinced that Balefire's fiancée was involved too, but no one took her seriously.

In the weeks that followed, Eve kept track of Rumple from a distance as he fooled himself into having a relationship with this Lacey character that had taken Belle's place. Eve was also keeping her distance from the Greg situation, as much as she wanted to help. She could have easily followed Greg 24/7 if she really wanted to, but she convinced herself that this wasn't her fight.

That idea changed drastically when it was revealed that Greg and Tamara were indeed working together, which resulted in a number of disasters. Balefire fell into a portal after being shot by his fiancée, and now the town was facing imminent destruction as a result of Regina's self-destruct device being obtained by Greg. No one was sure how they were going to save Storybrooke, and Eve was genuinely scared for everyone as it looked to be completely hopeless in the final hours. And if everyone was really going to die, there was only one thing for Eve to do.

"Rumple!" Eve called, running into the pawn shop.

She heard Rumple telling Lacey to remain in the back room before he emerged from the curtain, looking as bleak as ever. The sight of Eve made him look even angrier.

"What could you possibly want at a time like this?" He asked, marching her out of the shop and onto the empty sidewalk.

"What can we do?" Eve asked, unfazed by his aggressive behaviour.

"If you're referring to the fact that we're all about to die, I highly doubt you could do anything, dearie" He replied through gritted teeth.

"What if I told you that you've got the wrong impression of me?" Eve pleaded.

"Get to the point."

"I lied before, Rumple. About everything. We knew each other back in the Enchanted Forest. I don't know why you can't remember me, but I remember _everything._ "

"What exactly are you saying, Eve?" Rumple was getting angrier.

"When you asked to train me, I took up your offer. For the last three years before the curse happened, you trained me in magic."

"I don't believe you..." Rumple glared. "Don't get me wrong, there's no denying that you're a powerful sorcerer, but if that were the case; I wouldn't have wasted my time with you – not when I had Regina already lined up."

"I'm not going to stand here and argue with you about this, Rumplestilskin!" Eve snapped. "Look, just humour me and think for a second. If there's the two of us involved, can we save Storybrooke?"

Rumple glared at the pavement between them for several moments. "No...I'm afraid not."

"You're certain?"

Before Eve could blink, Rumple slammed her against the shop window with a hand around her neck.

"If there was a way that I could save myself, and the woman I love, don't you think I would know?!" He hissed, and Eve wasn't sure whether to kill him or start crying.

Before Eve could make up her mind, Rumple released his grip and took a step back. He was about to enter the shop and leave her there but Eve made him pause.

"Rumple..." Eve called, her voice slightly cracked as she massaged her neck. "I'm sorry about Balefire."

Rumple turned his head slightly and gave Eve a strange look, before disappearing into the shop and slamming the door in her face.

Eve stood for several moments staring at the closed door. Once her mind kicked back into working order, Eve began to walk away. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialled Archie's number.

"Where are you?" She asked as her voice cracked.

"Eve! We're on our way down to the mines. Where are you?"

"Why the mines?" Eve frowned as she walked along the road.

"Regina is alone down there trying to slow down the process...We can't leave her there to die alone."

"I understand. I'll see you soon." Eve replied after a moment.

Placing the phone back in her coat pocket, Eve stepped into golden mist without caring enough to check if there was anyone around to see. Appearing in the tree line overlooking the main entrance to the mine shaft, Eve breathed a shaky sigh of relief when she saw Archie and others appear on the road as they hurried towards her.

"Do we have a plan?" Eve asked calmly as she joined the speed-walking towards the mine entrance.

"Emma went ahead of us so hopefully by the time we get to her, we'll have something" Ruby answered.

"Eve?" Archie called, and Eve glanced behind to see her friend at the back of the group so she hung back.

"Did you ever find him?" Archie asked under his breath.

Eve threw him a look. "I...I didn't tell him."

Archie nodded and gave her a sad smile. "Well if we survive this, you can try again."

And with that, Archie held out his arm and Eve wrapped herself around it and they walked together behind the rest of the group. By the time everyone was surrounding Regina, it was explained to Eve that Emma and David had been working to get a magic bean from Greg and Tamara so that they could throw the self-destruct into the portal before everyone was killed. However, Emma was tricked and this plan fell through. But in true hero fashion, Emma and Regina worked together by pouring their magic into the stone to deactivate it, saving everyone.

Eve was close to stepping in and doing it herself, as she figured that Rumple would do the same had he cared enough to find hope like the Charmings were always doing. Luckily, Regina and Emma – while not being as powerful as Rumple and Eve – were still strong enough as a team to clean up the mess alone. Everyone was walking out of the mines, and it was only then that Eve spotted Sneezy – another victim who crossed town lines and lost memories – walking alongside the rest of the dwarves.

"Sneezy?" Eve frowned, looking over her shoulder at Ruby for an answer.

"Blue found a cure for the memory loss." She replied with a smile. "I'll introduce you when we get back to the diner."

"Wait...What? Did anyone get to Belle?" Eve asked quickly.

"Em, yeah. Leroy and the others called into Gold's shop on the way to the mines earlier."

Eve faltered in her step, nearly tripping over a stone. Belle was back, which meant Rumple had his happiness again.

"Eve? Everything okay?" Ruby asked, noticing the sudden change in her demeanour.

"HENRY?!" Emma's voice rang from behind the crowd.

"What's wrong, Emma?" Ruby turned her attention to Emma and her parents as they ran up from behind.

"Greg and Tamara" Snow answered. "They took Henry"

An audible gasp spread throughout the crowd of people and Eve bit her lip. This was usually the part where she had to disappear and let the heroes work things out for themselves.

"We'll start a search party..." Leroy yelled from somewhere.

"I'll take the woods" Eve murmured to Ruby, who was too distracted to respond with anything other than a worried nod.

To make a show of it, Eve ran away from the crowd in the direction of the main road that would take her to the woods, and as soon she was out of eyesight, she disappeared. When her feet landed on forest ground, Eve debated genuinely searching for them. She disappeared into her treehouse and leaned against the ivy-covered sill of a window and closed her eyes.

Emanating her magic was something Eve used to struggle with for a long time, but by now, it was child's play in comparison to the last tricks Rumple taught her. Within five minutes, Eve knew that she was the only soul within the whole forest, and had been for the last hour. She pulled out her phone and texted Ruby to say that it didn't look like Greg and Tamara had come through the woods, but didn't get a reply. She spent the next fifteen minutes simply gazing out at the woods below, debating with herself for the hundredth time about whether or not she should step in and help the heroes.

"We need to talk."

Eve nearly yelped in shock, but turned around to see Rumple standing across from her before she could react defensively.

"Rumple..."

"I don't have much time." Rumple interrupted her, showing no warmth yet again.

"What's wrong?"

"Greg and Tamara have taken Henry through a portal, and I have to help get him back."

"How are you going to do that?" Eve asked, preparing to finally be asked for her help.

"We have a magic bean and we're using the Jolly Roger to get through the portal."

"And you want me to come along?" Eve asked calmly, although inside she felt the adrenaline begin to race through her.

"No" Rumple answered, quickly killing Eve's hope. "That's not why I came."

Eve nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"If you care about me as much as you appear to" Rumple took several steps forward "And you're as strong as you claim to be; I need to ask you to do me this one favour."

"Anything" Eve answered immediately, looking at him with wide eyes.

"I need you to protect Belle while I'm gone."

Eve's heart sank for a split second before she nodded. "I could help you find Henry."

Rumple shook his head. "That's a job for his family. And I need someone here that I know will keep Belle out of danger."

Eve was about to argue again, but Rumple raised a finger.

"You say you care about my happiness...Prove it. Prove it by doing this for me."

She stared at Rumple for several moments. "Okay...I'll do it. I'll watch over Belle until you return."

"Swear to me" Rumple took several more steps forward.

"On one condition" Eve said, feeling brave suddenly.

"Name your price"

"I get to tell you...everything when you get back." Eve locked eyes with him.

Rumple gave her an odd look before slowly nodding. "It's a deal...Now I must go. Keep your end of the bargain."

Before Eve even had the chance to wish Rumple good luck, the man was gone.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Sorry for a big gap in between updating this story. My internet connection is terrible where I am for the Christmas holidays! I'll do my best to fix the problem. Also, I love the response so far - it's so positive! Thanks for all your reviews!**

"Where did they even go?" Leroy asked as Granny placed a plate of sandwiches.

"Rumple seemed to have a pretty good idea" Belle piped up from her seat at the counter with a sad tone to her voice. "But he didn't actually say so."

"Well with everyone on board that ship, I'm sure they'll get Henry back in no time and come back." Ruby spoke, giving Belle a pat on the shoulder before heading into the kitchen.

Eve sat in the corner of the diner alone in a booth, listening to all of them. It was difficult to watch someone else be comforted for Rumple's absence when Eve was in a difficult situation of her own. Being perfectly subtle about it, she kept glancing in Belle's direction as she contemplated how exactly she was supposed to take care of her. Should she possibly introduce herself and befriend her while Rumple was gone? Or was she supposed to give up her life for a while to live in the shadows as Belle continued on with her everyday life?

"I think your coffee's gone cold"

Eve snapped out of her train of thought and cursed herself for not noticing Archie's approach. He slid into the seat opposite her and placed a fresh cup of coffee in front of her.

"Thanks" Eve murmured quietly, giving Archie a small smile.

"How have you been? I haven't seen you around in the last couple of days."

"Oh, you know...Just busying myself with the treehouse. I actually made time to get myself a job."

"Oh really?" Archie beamed. "That's great news! What is it?"

Eve's mind searched for an answer, and then her eyes landed on Belle for the hundredth time. "Day care."

"Really?" Archie sank back in his seat. "I never would have guessed..."

"It's just temporary actually" She continued quickly, looking down at her coffee nervously. "It's not my dream job but until I find something else, Day care wasn't the worst option."

"Well good for you Eve" Archie replied, appearing completely convinced.

"Thanks...So if you don't see me hanging around town as much, that's probably why."

"I'll keep it in mind" He smiled. "Just be sure to make time for us, okay?"

Eve flashed him a convincing smile. "Of course."

Archie glanced at his watch. "Oooh, I should probably get back to the office. I'll see you later"

He began to slide out of the booth, but he paused suddenly and leaned over the table. "Oh and Eve...If you need to make another appointment..."

Eve glanced around the diner before looking back at Archie. "...I'll let you know. Thanks Archie. I'll see you soon."

She watched her friend leave the diner with a small feeling of happiness. Archie somehow always had a calming effect on her, which she only remembered every time they said goodbye to each other. But being distracted by Archie's departure caused Eve to miss Belle leaving her chair and making her way over to Eve's booth.

"Hi...It's Eve, isn't it?" Belle asked, tilting her head to the side with a polite smile on her face.

"Um..." Eve took a millisecond to compose herself. "Yes, I'm Eve. And you're Belle, correct?"

"Do you mind if I had a seat?"

Eve thought about using an excuse, but thought the better of it. "Sure, by all means."

She watched Belle take her seat, and noticed that the girl looked as stressed about Rumple as Eve felt.

"What can I do for you, Belle?" Eve asked quickly to avoid an awkward silence.

"Well, the thing is..." Belle paused, looking for the right wording. "I was wondering if you could explain to me how you and Rumplestilskin know each other?"

Eve frowned, surprised by the question. "We...Why do you ask?"

"Well, I know he's spoken with you before..." Belle replied apologetically. "And I was wondering if he spoke to you before he left? If you know where they went?"

Eve's shoulders relaxed. "No, I'm sorry. He didn't. He didn't tell me anything."

Belle gave Eve a sad smile as she nodded to herself, clearly disappointed. "Well, thanks for your help all the same. I won't bother you any longer."

"Wait, Belle?" Eve spoke up as Belle was about to walk away from the booth. "If you need any help in the shop while Rumple's – Rumplestilskin is away, let me know. I've been looking for a job anyways so if you wanted an extra hand, I'm around."

Belle gave her a brilliant smile. "Thanks Eve. I'll keep it in mind. I'll see you around."

Eve was an idiot. She hadn't thought this through at all. And if Rumplestilskin heard about this; he was probably going to kill her.

Appearing down the side of the pawn shop, Eve paced back and forth for a few moments as she tried to decide how she was going to play this out. Belle had taken up Eve's careless offer much sooner than she had guessed, and it was only then that Eve realised how badly this could end. Taking a deep breath, Eve stepped into the shop; cringing at the sound of the bell ringing as if to seal her fate.

"Eve, is that you?" Belle's voice came from beyond the curtain.

"It's me!" Eve called back.

An echo of high heels sounded Belle's approach through the golden curtains as she greeted Eve with a gleaming smile.

"Thanks for coming by, Eve!" She continued to beam.

Eve tried, and miserably failed to match her genuine joy with a single smile. "It's not a problem. So what can I do for you today?"

Belle launched into a detailed explanation of how she wanted to create an item record for the store, as Rumple didn't seem to possess one. This was a task that required a lot of caution and it was clearly dangerous, as both women were all too aware of the risks Rumple had taken to possess certain items within the shop. Once Belle was finished explaining, Eve took a moment to summarise the information in her mind.

"I can do that." Eve answered, sounding slightly unsure as she studied Belle's face.

Belle frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"Why are you trusting me with this job? You're asking me to practically comb through this shop; through Mr Gold's collection. For one thing, it's probably going to be dangerous – which I have no problem with – and secondly, there's a good chance I'll stumble onto a few items that are invaluable and probably extremely powerful."

"I still don't understand the confusion?" Belle admitted.

"You don't know me, Belle. We're acquaintances, and yet you're willing to put this level of trust in me. I don't understand your logic – no offence, of course."

Belle smiled, finally understanding as she nodded to herself. "You're dead right, Eve. I don't know you very well, and from what I've heard; very little of Storybrooke can say different. However, from the little I've seen of you, you don't appear to…share the same feelings as most of the town does towards Rumple. You're less likely to betray me, or Rumple, or the shop than the majority of this town."

It was Eve's turn to nod in understanding. Belle was smarter than she thought.

"Plus, Rumple mentioned you before he left to find Henry with the others."

Eve's heart skipped a beat. "What did he say to you?"

"Not much. Just something about asking for your help if I really needed it."

Eve's startled expression melted away. "I see…Well, em, I guess I'll get started; shall I?"

Eve spent the next few days working on shop inventory. There were countless items that she nor Belle could identify, let alone decide if they were dangerous or not and therefore, many things were never even removed from their cabinets. However, there were several items that Eve recognised from the time she spent training with Rumple back home and when Belle would admit that she was clueless, Eve had to make up a reason why she knew about an item that Rumple didn't. Belle didn't seem to notice Eve's extra bit of knowledge, or so Eve thought until fourth day.

"Okay, that's it!" Belle dropped the inventory book onto the counter with a firm thud.

"Problem?" Eve asked calmly, although she was panicking internally.

"Yes" Belle asked curtly, but then her expression softened. "I'm starting to think that you're not being honest with me."

"About?" Eve replied innocently.

"About…Well a lot of things actually. Mainly about how you know more about some of these items than I do!"

Eve was starting to seriously regret her decision to help Belle in the shop. "What does it matter if I have knowledge that you don't?"

"It doesn't" Belle answered quickly. "It matters to me, however, that you're lying about everything concerning Rumplestilskin."

"You're just paranoid Belle. I get it. He's been gone for days now, and we all know that wherever they've gone is a dangerous place that even he'll be challenged by."

"I'm not a fool, Eve. You're even using tactics that Rumple himself uses when he's trying to cover up a lie!" Belle was getting angry again.

Eve remained calm as she stood to her feet and walked through to the main part of the shop.

"Where are you going?" Belle half-yelled as she followed Eve out of the back.

"This was a bad idea. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have accepted the job offer." Eve looked over her shoulder.

"Is this your way of admitting that you're not being honest with me about Rumple?"

"Take it up with him if he…" Eve trailed off for a moment. "When he gets back, you can ask him. Until then, I'll stay away."

She began walking towards the door, but as she turned the handle she looked back at Belle.

"Despite everything, you can still come to me for any help if you need it. That's something that neither Rumple nor I have lied about."

Before Belle could stop her, Eve was out the door and had disappeared as soon as she was out of Belle's eyeshot.

Eve wasn't sure what to do that evening after running out of Rumple's shop to escape Belle's accusations, so she found herself wandering around town just so she was at least close enough to Belle if the sky began to fall, or some other form of danger. As she strolled around the town in circles, Eve thought about all of the things she was going to say to Rumple when he got back. She tried to guess how he would take to her story but she couldn't predict a smooth outcome so she tried to just focus on the main points she needed to tell him.

Eve was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she was surprised to find herself strolling towards the pawn shop, where she found Belle sitting on the steps outside crying. Without hesitation, Eve approached her with an expression of kind concern.

"Belle?"

Belle's bright blue eyes were pink and puffy as she stared up at Eve, clearly embarrassed for being caught in such a state.

"Eve…I'm sorry. I-I was just out here for some fresh air and…and…"

Belle was clearly struggling to explain herself, so Eve did her a favour and interrupted the feeble attempt by holding out her hand.

"C'mon. If you want fresh air, we can go somewhere much nicer than the sidewalk."

Belle blinked up at Eve before taking her hand and allowed herself to be pulled up to her feet. Eve immediately linked arms with Belle and they were soon walking into the park just as dusk was starting to settle through the sky in shades of pink, grey and orange. Neither of them spoke until Eve built a cool demeanour and gathered the courage to make the first move.

"Things haven't been easy, have they?"

Belle sniffled. "I'm sorry about earlier Eve! I guess I've just been struggling a bit since Rumple left…"

"Don't mention it, Belle. I understand how you feel, so you really don't need to apologise to me."

A silence fell between them after that as Belle tried to compose herself while Eve struggled to ask a million questions. Their arms were no longer linked and eventually Belle was looking better so Eve asked the first question.

"You care about Rumplestilskin then?"

Belle gave Eve a strained smile. "He's the most important thing to me in this world."

Eve internally screamed. She felt the same way sometimes, and hearing the words come from another woman was painful to listen to. However, she then realised that Belle was feeling a similar pain to how Eve had been feeling since she woke up in Storybrooke. She couldn't be with Rumple, and it was awful. Suddenly, Eve's need to properly reunite with Rumple – fill him in on what they shared in the Enchanted Forest – it dissolved into a feeling of guilt and doubt.

"So you're happy being with him?"

Belle gave her an odd look. "Well…yes, of course?"

Eve nodded to herself. "And…And do you think Rumplestilskin is happy?"

Belle bit her lip, but then began grinning sheepishly. "I believe he is…I've seen him at some of his lowest points, and these days I feel like I'm witnessing his highest."

Eve felt like crying there and then, but she fought back the tears and kept her composure instead. That was all she needed to hear to change her mind entirely. It wasn't going to be easy, but Eve's goal was no longer getting back Rumple. She realised that her priority was keeping Rumple happy – which might have sounded sad in some ways, but Eve didn't have anything else in her life that felt as real as Rumple did.

Saving the two from another awkward silence, Eve's phone buzzed and she answered a call from Archie. Despite the hunt for Henry, the town were having celebrating Greg and Tamara's failure to destroy them all. Once she was off the phone, Eve started steering Belle back into town.

"Where are we going?"

"I think you need a drink after all of that" Eve replied. "There's a group gathering in the Rabbit Hole to celebrate the whole town being saved."

Belle didn't argue and within minutes, the pair of them were entering the tavern to be greeted by a range of townspeople. Belle was caught by the dwarves and Eve spotted Archie waiting by the bar.

"Hey, you made it!" Archie greeted her.

"I'm surprised there are celebrations…considering there's a rescue party searching for Henry right now…" Eve murmured in his ear.

Archie smiled sadly. "A few of us feel the same way but…we did nearly perish a couple of weeks ago. It was time we gave ourselves an evening to be thankful for it."

Eve shrugged her shoulders in response, glancing over in Belle's direction as she did so. Archie picked up on it immediately.

"Something bothering you?"

Eve looked away quickly. "Nope. Not at all. I'm okay."

Archie gave Eve a surprisingly sassy look. "What's going on between you and Belle?"

"Belle? Nothing's going on! I…I just helped her run Mr. Gold's shop for a few days…"

"Really? How did you get into a situation like that? I thought you weren't friendly with Belle."

"I'm not – or at least I wasn't…It just sort of happened. And plus, I was a big help to her." Eve explained, paranoid that anyone else could hear their conversation.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to intrude." Archie replied earnestly. "I just couldn't make the connection. It's not like you were doing Mr Gold the favour…"

Archie meant it as a joke, but Eve's composure wasn't strong enough and Archie saw the change in her expression. He opened his mouth to say something, but Eve stopped him – pretending like nothing was happening in that moment.

"Anyways, I think I'm just going to find Ruby before I head off. I'll see you soon, Archie."

Eve heard Archie murmur her name as she walked away, but she pretended not to hear him and she kept walking. She scanned the room for Ruby, but when she couldn't spot her, Eve simply left the bar after one last look at Belle.

As soon as Eve stepped out, she shivered. The night had brought cold temperatures and Eve was in nothing but a thin leather jacket and a black t-shirt. The streets were empty as more and more people were heading to the Rabbit Hole, so Eve was walking alone with nothing but the sound of her boots hitting the pavement. That is, until she heard footsteps coming up behind her.

"Eve!" Archie's voice called out.

Reluctantly, Eve turned around with a smile on her face as Archie skidded to a halt and nearly keeled over as he tried to catch his breath.

"Was the party that boring once I left, Archie?!" Eve joked half-heartedly.

"Eve…I…You…Can we please talk?" He breathed.

"We can talk tomorrow" Eve replied, keeping her cool. She turned her back and started walking away. "Enjoy the rest of the party Archie!"

"I figured it out you know!" Archie called out.

Eve's step faltered and she turned her head to the side. "What?"

"Who you talked about…I think I finally know who it is."

Eve threw Archie a look of warning. "If you want to talk, we'll talk. But not anywhere outside of your office."

Archie stared at Eve for a few minutes. "Okay, let's go."


	15. Chapter 15

"It all makes sense…There are only a few people in this town who would have to power to keep you safe in Regina's curse. And with the clues you've given me before…I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner."

Eve had let Archie ramble on for the last five minutes – he hadn't shut up since they entered his office.

"Eve…How? How is that possible? How do you and Mr. Gold have a history?"

Eve didn't look up at him. "Is there any point in telling?"

Archie didn't push it, but his next words really messed things up. "Eve…You're not planning to hurt Belle while Mr. Gold is away…are you?"

Eve froze and she felt her heart fill with adrenaline. The rage was instant. "Did you honestly just ask me that?"

She glared over at Archie, and it was clear that he realised he had said the wrong thing. "Eve…No. I didn't mean to-

"If that's how you really think of me…!" Eve huffed, standing to her feet and marching towards the door. "…We're done here! And don't _dare_ come after me this time!"

Eve slammed the office door shut with such force that she heard the glass sign crack, but she was too angry to let that stop her as she marched away. She disappeared into golden smoke before Archie even had time to open the broken office door.

After the incident with Archie, Eve isolated herself from everyone. A day after it happened, Eve did sneak into Archie's office to fix the broken door but that didn't change the fact that her closest friend had admitted to having terrible expectations of her. From that evening, Eve lived in her own cloaking spell as she watched Belle work around the shop. She even went to the trouble of leaving Belle subtle hints, as it was clear that the woman was struggling to make an inventory without Eve's help.

Archie did visit the shop two days after their fight, and Eve watched as Belle confessed that she had no idea where Eve had gone to. Archie confirmed that no one was able to get through to Eve, and that they were all quite worried. She wasn't surprised if Archie had even visited the treehouse, but Eve hadn't been home. Her time was now dedicated to watching Belle. Ruby visited the shop a few days later, and the same conversation took place. Whenever Eve decided to return to the world, this was absence was probably going to lose her a few friends.

A week of invisible existence passed before the Henry rescue team returned. Eve found out in a startling way that nearly resulted in her blowing up an alleyway. In her invisible spell, Eve's shoulder leaned against a wooden fence as she gazed through the shop window where she had a clear view of Belle.

"How interesting. Everyone's invisibility spell is different so why-

At the sound of someone addressing her in her invisible state, Eve twirled with fists of golden energy. Rumplestilskin would have been knocked back 20ft if he hadn't been quick enough to leap out of the way – resulting in a stream of golden energy charging towards the alley ground, but with a great amount of effort, Eve got the blast just before it made contact, and dragged it back into her hands with a grunt of effort. Composing herself quickly, she shoved her hands back into her pockets and turned to face Rumple, who was observing her with a studious look.

"You're back."

"Well observed" Rumple replied bluntly. "Are you covered in an invisibility cloak, or are you not?"

Eve had to question herself, but she could still the magic covering every inch of her outline. "Yeah…"

"I shouldn't be able to see you – unless…Unless…"

Eve was slightly concerned by Rumple's expression, but she had questions. "You didn't run straight to Belle after arriving home?"

Whatever was bothering Rumple left his expression as the question was asked. "We made a deal. Belle seems to be perfectly safe…and I know sometimes it isn't easy to keep it that way. You kept your end of the bargain, so I'm here to arrange a time where I uphold my end and listen to your story that you seemed so eager to share with me."

Eve's conscience screamed inside her head as opposed to its usual small voice. In the time Rumple had been gone, she had been rehearsing in her head exactly what she would tell Rumple when he finally returned to Storybrooke. Now that he was actually back after weeks of protecting Belle and understanding how strong their bond was, Eve was second guessing herself yet again. But she wasn't stupid either, so she quickly came back with a smart response.

"I'll come to collect that end of the deal at a time I choose…I'll give you a heads up when that will be." She replied coolly.

Rumple's eyes narrowed, but he gave her a solemn nod before vanishing into thin air. Eve watched him through the windows as he entered the shop, rushing to Belle with open arms as they embraced. The sight was as painful as a sword being stabbed into the gut.

***  
For a couple of days, Storybrooke was a pretty normal place. None of the Charming family needed saving, and there were presumably no villains lurking in the shadows ready to destroy Storybrooke. Eve spent her time in the treehouse and the surrounding area, expressing her frustration in the form of practising magic. No one came looking for her, and Eve was too awkward to return to town just yet with Archie and Ruby no doubt waiting to pounce on her and demand all sorts of questions to be answered. Eve would've gone to check on Rumple and Belle, but now that she knew Rumple could somehow see through her invisibility spell, she couldn't risk being caught.

On the third day of forest isolation, Rumple caught Eve practising magic for a second time. Eve had been working on her elemental magic, but had surpassed the training Rumple had given her long ago. She was now beginning to develop an ability to change one element into another. When Rumple entered her line of vision, she was three-quarters of the way through turning a tree into stone.

"I'm surprised to see you here…" Eve called out to let him know that she sensed his presence, as she continued to wield her magic into the changing tree.

Without warning, a bubble of purple energy encircled Eve where she sat on the forest floor and her stream of energy was severed from the tree. Baffled and confused, Eve leapt to her feet and turned to Rumple. This was something that she had never experienced before, but she assumed this bubble was preventing her magic from extending outside of it. Without an exchange of words and a demand to be set free, Eve instead placed both feet firmly on the ground before igniting herself into a ball of fire, letting it grow and grow until it was pressing against the bubble. She felt her magic build up so much that she actually started to worry if she was going to burn herself alive eventually, but as soon as the thought came to her, the bubble burst and Eve was suddenly free. She had to retract the entirety of the extreme flame with so much speed, that the effort caused her to drop to her knees.

"What the hell was that?" Eve panted, lifting her head with a glare in her eye.

Rumplestilskin was standing several feet away from her with a sword in his hand, and he looked quite horrified. He retreated a couple of steps, not taking his eyes off of Eve for a second.

"You're…What are you?" He stammered, a hint of anger in his voice.

Eve staggered to her feet and brushed the dirt from her knees. She wasn't all that scared of Rumple despite what he just did, or the fact that there was a sword in his hand. It was a force of habit.

"Didn't we have a similar conversation a few months ago?" Eve replied wearily.

"You weren't honest with me" Rumple growled, clutching the sword tighter.

Eve couldn't help but scoff at the sight. "It's unlike you to have a sword in your hand. What do you think that's going to do?"

"This isn't a normal sword, I'm surprised you don't recognise it. Any sorcerer should feel the threat it puts on them." Rumple hissed with gritted teeth.

This encounter so far was completely baffling to Eve, and she suddenly wondered if she was having a very vivid dream. However, that thought escaped her when Rumple raised the sword above his head and then threw it in her direction with all his might. Instinctively, Eve waved a hand full energy and deflected the blade – its change in direction resulting in the sword being embedded in the tree beside her.

"That shouldn't be possible…" Rumple stammered, looking at the sword with desperation. "You shouldn't be able to have defended yourself."

Eve was starting to get pissed off, but she only frowned. "Why's that exactly?"

"The sword was made to be immune to a sorcerer's magic…" Rumple replied in angst. "Meaning that you're not…"

Eve's head tilted to one side, eager to hear the rest of the sentence but it never came.

"Rumple…" The caring concern in Eve's voice surprised her, and the surprise turned into anger. "How dare you come to attack me! I've just spent the last three weeks protecting Belle for you!"

"This is impossible…" Rumple murmured to himself, clearly not caring for what Eve had to say.

Before Eve could grab his attention with a ball of flame, the sound of a phone ringing echoed through the trees. Rumple pulled out a phone from the inside of his jacket pocket and held it to his ear.

"Belle, what's wrong?"

Eve heard Belle's voice at the end of the phone. Judging by the tone of her voice, something bad had just happened. Rumple promised Belle he'd return to town, and then he hung up.

"You…" He waved a threating finger in Eve's direction. "You and I are going to have a long chat v _ery_ soon."

Eve was so unimpressed that she gave him a look that could kill. "I guess we will."

With that, Rumple disappeared and Eve stood in the forest reeling from the last five minutes of nonsensical chaos. Realising that there was a problem in the town, Eve snapped out of her confusion and started walking.

Soon enough, Eve was walking the main streets of Storybrooke in plain sight for the first time in days. She was searching for anyone friendly so she could get information about the current problem. Eventually, she found Doc who was rushing away from Granny's diner.

"Hey, Doc?" She called, scurrying up to him with urgency as she read his worried expression.

"Eve…Haven't seen you in a while…" He greeted with wandering eyes, clearly distracted.

"Doc, is there a problem? What's going on around here?"

"Pan made it back to Storybrooke. He's been in Henry's body since the gang returned."

Eve's eyes widened in confusion. "Who's Pan? Is he dangerous?"

Doc gave her a look. "Peter Pan? He's Rumplestilskin's father – some people reckon he's just as bad as the Dark One! If not, worse! And apparently he's got plans to curse Storybrooke!"

"What?!" Eve was horrified. She knew so little as result of isolating herself for the last while.

"Snow and the others are working to get Henry back in his own body. They think Regina can stop the curse or something…I'm sorry Eve, but I've gotta go find the other dwarves!"

Before Eve could ask another question, Doc was running down the street and disappearing around a corner. She stood there on the pavement looking around her helplessly, unsure where to go or who to find. Rumple's father was still alive? And a villain no less? Nothing was making sense. She had to find Ruby.

A minute later, Eve was walking into Granny's shop where she found Ruby hugging her grandmother with a desperate look on her face. The sound of the bell signalling Eve's entrance cause the pair to cease their embrace and look in Eve's direction.

"Eve…? You're okay?" Ruby was clearly bewildered to her.

"Ruby, what's this about Peter Pan? And his plan to curse Storybrooke?" Eve asked as she walked towards Ruby.

Before she could get answers, Eve was pulled into a tight embrace. "I was so worried about you, Eve." Ruby murmured into her shoulder.

"I'm sorry Ruby. I'll try to explain myself later." Eve replied. "But first, can someone tell me what's going on exactly? How much danger is this town in?"

Ruby glanced back at Granny worriedly before turning back to Eve. "Peter Pan – Mr. Gold's dad – is a very bad person…In Neverland, he tried to kill Henry. Everyone thought they had defeated him, but somehow Pan survived and has been in Henry's body since they came back to Storybrooke. Henry was locked in Pan's body like a prisoner, while Peter Pan has been making plans for this town. He's designed a curse of his own, and he wants to gain control of Storybrooke using it."

"Oh no…" Eve stammered. "What can we do?"

"It's okay. I just off the phone with David. They've found Henry – in Pan's body – and Mr. Gold knows how to switch the bodies back to how they should be. And Regina can apparently stop the curse. I don't think we can do anything because it's already being done."

The plan seemed too easy, and Eve wasn't convinced. "I don't think…Ruby, I need to go. I need to go to Gold's shop."

Before she had to explain herself, Eve fled the store leaving Ruby and Granny behind. Eve took the pavement and began sprinting down the main street. She noticed a cloud of green smoke billowing in the direction of the forest, and instead of continuing her sprint; Eve ran through a golden veil and appeared on a rooftop overlooking Mr. Gold's shop. Confusingly, Eve could only sense one person in the shop and soon Mr. Gold emerged from the front door.

"Rumple!"

Disappearing when she caught Rumple's attention, Eve reappeared by his side. "What's going on?!"

Rumple growled. "I don't have time for this! Not now!"

Catching Eve completely off-guard, Rumple's arms shot out and Eve was thrown into the side of a brick building; the structure slightly collapsing as she fell into the rubble; unconscious.

A few minutes later, Eve came to and found herself covered in dust and bruises. Once she remembered how she got there, she leapt to her feet and took off running despite the aches screaming through her body. Within under a minute, Eve came to a small gathering of Emma and the others in the middle of the crossroads at the clock tower. Everyone looked distraught as Belle sobbed on ground. Rumple was nowhere to be found. Emma was the first to properly notice Eve standing there staring at them all.

"Eve…What happened to you?"

Eve's eyes had landed on Belle's state, and only one thing came into her head. "Where's Rumple?"

Belle's sobs grew louder at the question, confirming Eve's fears. "No…"

She began backing away as Emma stared at her, slightly confused by Eve's emotional reaction. "No…He didn't…He didn't die…"

"He sacrificed himself, Eve." Emma replied grimly. "And took Pan down with him. He saved us all."

Eve and Emma locked eyes for a split second, and as the first tear spilt over Eve's cheek; she turned and ran. She didn't stop running even when her tears blurred her vision entirely. The only person she ever fell in love with – who fell in love with her – was gone, and she could've saved him. She could have helped.

Eve had been sprinting down the road for about twenty minutes when she vaguely noticed the green smoke, and how it turned purple as it approached her. But the sight didn't cause Eve to falter. All she could think of was Rumplestilskin, and she ran straight into the purple fog.


	16. Chapter 16

Eve woke up in a field surrounded by tall pine trees, with a thumping head and stinging eyes. It was only when she sat up that she realised that she was wearing an outfit she had been wearing in the Enchanted Forest…a black cape, with black leather trousers and waistcoat, and a white under shirt. She stood to her feet, gauging her surroundings with a confused expression on her face. She used magic to enhance her hearing, and quickly she heard a group of voices to her left.

When she recognised Snow's voice, she took off in a jog until she broke through the trees and came in to a clearing. In a large group, she spotted Regina, Snow, Charming, and the dwarves, Robin, Belle, Neal and Ruby. Two flying beings caught her eye and she realised that Blue was in her true fairy form, and Archie had returned to his cricket state. The majority of people hadn't noticed Eve appear, but Blue suddenly zoomed over to Eve and hovered at eye-level.

"Eve, are you alright?" Blue asked, her voice full of concern.

"I-I don't understand" Eve choked out. "I thought we would be brought to a world created by Pan?"

Blue shook her head with a sad smile. "Regina saved us all. She turned to Pan's curse into one of her own, which brought us back here. We had to part with Emma and Henry to do it. We can't return to Storybrooke ever again – our worlds are no longer connected."

Eve slowly nodded. "Is everyone else okay?"

Blue turned her head and looked over at Belle and Neal. "Some of us are not."

The sight of them reminded Eve of Rumple's sacrifice and her eyes filled with tears before she could stop herself. When Blue turned back to Eve, she jerked her head back in surprise.

"Eve? What's wrong?" She asked worriedly.

Eve wiped her eyes and shook her head. "I-I'm just…I-

"It's a lot to take in, I know" Blue cut her off with a soothing tone. "We're making arrangements to head to Regina's castle. We're going to rebuild the kingdom. You're welcome to join us – we could use all the help we could get."

Eve shook her head slowly, a thought coming to her. "I…I have to go back to my family. I saved them from Regina's first curse…They're in the Enchanted Forest somewhere!"

Blue looked confused for a moment, clearly wondering how Eve achieved something like that – but quickly beamed at Eve. "Then you must go to them. If you ever need help finding them, please don't be afraid to call for me. I'll be listening out for you."

Eve was slightly taken back by Blue's kindness, but she was grateful for it. "Thank you Blue, I really appreciate it. If you don't mind, I'd rather not have huge goodbyes. Archie or Ruby might offer to come with me and you're right; Snow and Regina need all the help they can get to rebuild this land. Could you let them know what I'm doing, a little while after I leave?"

Blue didn't look happy about no goodbyes, but she nodded regardless. "Do you have any idea where to find them?"

Eve was going to find them in seconds once she was out of Blue's sight, but she simply shrugged and looked up at Blue with innocent eyes. "I know my way around the Enchanted Forest – I was quite the traveller growing up. I'm sure I'll find them soon enough."

Blue smiled back at Eve. "Well I wish you the best of luck, Eve. I hope this isn't the last time we'll see you."

Eve doubted she'd ever reunite with the people of Storybrooke once she found her family. Snow and the others attracted all sorts of magic and danger, and Eve couldn't bring her family into that environment. She looked past Blue and saw Ruby and Archie…or Jiminy Cricket, side by side engrossed in their conversation. Eve was sad, but after what just happened to Rumple, she wasn't emotionally prepared to say goodbye to the two closest friends she'd ever had. She needed to slip away and just let Blue do the goodbyes for her.

Eve said her goodbyes to Blue quickly and then slipped back into the forest. Once she no longer felt Blue's eyes on her through the trees, Eve took off in a jog to create a little more distance before finally she created a cloud of smoke and practically leapt into the glimmering void.

With a graceful roll to the ground, Eve stood to her feet and her face of delight and anticipation immediately disappeared. She was facing the woods opposite to her home, and there were barely any trees standing that weren't damaged. It seemed as if every second or third tree was either knocked down, or torn to shreds and decaying. Eve was almost afraid to turn around, because she had a sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. She slowly turned around to see a ruin of what her home used to be, and she nearly screamed at the sight.

The open front door had a sinister red stain on it with several arrows embedded into various parts of the wood. Every window was broken, and there were a few more traces of red stains that could even be seen against the dark stone of the cottage structure. Eve didn't actually scream until she noticed the three overgrown graves that were to the side of the cottage. They were covered in grass, and looked like three perfectly shaped small hills, but anyone could guess that these mounds of grass were old graves.

Eve crumpled to the ground and covered her hands with her mouth, staring at the three graves where her mother and two brothers were buried. The horror and shock sent her into a spiral, and the trees around her began to tremble and the ground began to hum. The cottage even started vibrating and clouds suddenly accumulated above, darkening the ground around Eve.

This whirlwind of magic stopped and started as Eve knelt in the same place for the next five hours until it was past sundown. It was only when the moon was at its highest point in the night sky that Eve eventually stood to her feet, with a mild sense of composure and calm. She walked over to the graves until she was standing at the foot of the second grave.

"I don't understand this…" She began with a shaky breath. "But I know that it's you three under there. I just wanted to keep you safe, and with my magic, I thought I could do that. I shouldn't have agreed to leave you – I don't understand why I agreed to let Rumple take me with him to Storybrooke when I should've stayed here with you to help. I'm sorry I kept so many secrets from you, but please try to understand that all I wanted was to keep the three of you safe. I'm sorry that I've failed you. You all deserved so much better than this…"

With that final comment, Eve walked away from the graves and she didn't look back as the last tear rolled down her cheek. She didn't have a destination in mind, but she found herself walking towards the town at the bottom of the hill. It wasn't until she was in the town square when she was pulled out her woeful trance, that she noticed that half the town was crumbling and decaying. The truth finally occurred to her, and she stopped in her tracks.

This town, and her family were never saved from Regina's curse; that much was clear to Eve. Whatever memory Eve had of saying goodbye to her family and casting a protection spell with Rumple over them and the town; Eve recognised that it was a false memory. The only question Eve needed answered now was why? None of Eve's theories made sense. No one other than Rumple could've meddled with Eve's memories, but why would he? If he needed her in Storybrooke so badly, he would've remembered her when she woke up and went to find him. There was no way Eve could figure this out on her own. She needed help.

"Blue…" Eve thought aloud, and then became insistent. "BLUE! Blue I need you!"

After several moments passed, Eve began to panic. Blue had lied, she wasn't going to listen out for Eve. However, just as Eve's anger was beginning to grow – Blue appeared out of thin air.

"Eve?"

Eve turned around and saw Blue hovering several metres away from her. She was looking around the town ruins with a worried expression. When her eyes finally landed on Eve, she saw the state she was in and immediately transformed into a human-sized fairy before rushing over and placing her hands on Eve's shoulders.

"Oh no…Eve what's wrong?" She asked.

"My family are dead. This town…I have memories of protecting my family and this town from Regina's curse. There are three graves up on the hill beside the house where…where I grew up."

Blue's face crumbled into despair. "Eve…"

"Blue" Eve cut her off, her voice was hollow. "I think I have false memories. I need help getting back the real ones. I need to understand what actually happened."

Blue studied Eve's face for the longest time, seeing the lack of emotion in the young woman's eyes. "Eve…do you really think you want to find out?"

"I need to know what happened to my family. I deserve to know the truth, however bad it is."

Blue nodded slowly and fell silent for a moment, in thought. "I'm afraid I can't help you Eve…The potion I used to help Belle and Sneezy back in Storybrooke were lost in the curse along with a lot of my magical possessions. But I think I know someone who can help you. I can send you to him right now, assuming that he's still living in the last place I saw him before the curse."

Eve nodded, completely prepared to leave in that instant. "Who is he?"

"A sorcerer who's been around for a very long time…He's one of the most powerful wielders of Light magic besides the fairies and Emma Swan. Have you ever heard of the Sorcerer's Apprentice?"

Eve hesitated. She remembered Rumple mention this sorcerer before – referring to him as the "Crazy Old Man". Rumple told her that they had a very long history together, as well as other Dark Ones before him. If Eve were to approach this sorcerer for help; there was every chance he'd know who she was and possibly try to kill her…But now that Eve had no one to live for, she struggled to care about the risks.

"Take me to him, Blue. Please? If he can help me, I need to see him right away." Eve pleaded, looking deep into Blue's eyes.

"Of course, I will try to help you. We can leave right now." Blue replied solemnly before suddenly returning to her fairy form. "Stay still."

Eve didn't even pretend to look scared, and just stared at the ground until the two of them were covered in a cloud of blue smoke. When the smoke cleared, Eve was standing on different ground. She looked up at Blue, who was crying.

"Blue?" Eve asked, surprised.

"I'm so sorry this has happened to you Eve." Blue explained. "Whenever you're ready, you just call for me and I will bring you back with me to the others. We'll take care of you, I promise."

Eve looked up at Blue for a long time, successfully fighting back tears. "I…I don't know if I'll ever be ready to face anyone, Blue. But…but I'll always keep it in mind. Thank you."

Blue nodded, composing herself and drying her tears. She pointed behind Eve. "That's his home. I sense his magic, he still lives here. Good luck, Eve. I hope that returning your true memories will help you in some way."

"Thank you for your help, Blue." Eve replied with the smallest of smiles before turning around and walking away from her, heading straight to the door of the thatched cottage.

No-longer sensing Blue's presence, Eve knocked on the tall wooden door. When no one answered, Eve knocked on the door once again.

"Did Blue send you?"

Eve whirled around to find an old man carrying a bundle of freshly dug-up carrots in one hand and a small shovel in the other. He wore dark red robes and his beard was white with traces of gold running through.

"Yes…You're the Sorcerer's Apprentice?" Eve stepped away from the door and took a few steps back as the man approached the door and pushed it open.

"That I am. Why don't you come in, Eve? I have brewing on the stove." He replied, keeping the door open until Eve could step inside.

"You…You know who I am?" Eve asked cautiously as she walked into the warm living area.

The man placed the carrots on a table and then crossed over to the fire place, pouring two cups of tea. He walked over and handed Eve a cup.

"I heard Blue say your name. As for knowing what you are…I have my suspicions."

Eve looked down at her tea, not knowing how to respond for a little while. "I need your help, Sir."

"What makes you think I'm the one who can help you?" He asked calmly, sitting down in one of the chairs.

"Blue said you had the power to give me back my true memories?" Eve answered.

The man looked up at her. "Take a seat, Eve."

Eve did what she was told, clutching at the tea nervously as she sat at the edge of the seat. She was too afraid to look this man in the eyes, and so she took to staring into the fire, which she was sure was glistening in the occasional flame.

"Blue wasn't mistaken. I have the power to help you." He finally spoke.

Eve looked up. "And will you help me?"

"Perhaps. It depends on the memories you suspect have been taken from you."

Eve's gaze fell on the fire again. "I was taken to another world in Regina's curse, and have only just returned to this land. I have memories of protecting my town, and my family from Regina's curse. But…I returned to my home as soon as we landed in the Enchanted Forest only to find the town in ruins and- and a grave site at my house."

The old man didn't react, and so Eve continued.

"I never saved my family from the curse, and I never protected the town either. I have false memories, and I can't figure out why. I want to learn the truth…I deserve to understand what really happened to my family."

The sorcerer nodded. "I'm sorry for your loss, Eve. There is no greater pain than losing the ones we love."

"Will you help me?" Eve asked softly, fighting back tears.

The old man stood to his feet and began walking away from the fireplace to the other side of the room to the kitchen area. He open a large wooden cabinet and Eve saw a wide range of potions covering every shelf. She watched him take out a tall, narrow vile of purple liquid and a glass jar of what looked like ash.

"May I have your cup of tea?" He asked, sitting back down and laying out his potions on the small wooden table beside his chair.

Wordlessly, Eve handed him the tea and then watched the sorcerer pour two drops of the purple liquid in before sprinkling a pinch of grey ash. Eve was about to reach out to take the cup from him, but the sorcerer began waving a hand around the cup until the contents began glowing bright red, then deep blue and finally a brilliant purple. Once the light show ceased, he handed her back the cup.

"I must warn you. Your tea has been utterly ruined." He commented with a smile.

"Thank you" Eve said, returning the smile as best she could despite the nerves.

When the sorcerer didn't say anything, Eve took a deep breath and then downed the entire contents of the cup and then gagged. He was right, the potion had ruined the tea. After several moments of nothing happening, Eve looked over at the sorcerer with a confused expression. She was about to say something when the effects suddenly took hold of her.

Images were rushing around Eve until she could no longer tell if she was in another dimension, or still in the room with the sorcerer. The walls of her mind were now covered in horrifying images. Defending a small child, she saw herself hitting a guard from the army that took over her town after the war. She then saw her brothers corpses propped up against the walls of her home, covered in blood and their heads in their laps, and her mother was displayed on the front door; propped up by arrows that held her in place. Then for a moment, all Eve could see was red smoke and when it cleared; she saw herself standing in the ruins of her town. Her clothes were singed with fire and she was covered in blood that wasn't hers, and her eyes had a golden glow. The image dissolved and Eve watched herself crying as she buried her brothers and mother in the three graves. The following image was of her bedroom, where Rumple appeared out of nowhere as Eve was lying on her bed; a broken person. It seemed as if Rumple had been away, and he was comforting Eve as she told him what happened. Rumple told her about Regina's curse, and the part he had to play in it, and how he was going to make sure Eve didn't meet the same fate as everyone else. Then Eve watched herself ask a cowardly thing; she asked Rumple to change her memories.

Very suddenly, Eve fell back into the real world and she realised she was still seated across from the sorcerer in his cottage. She felt hot tears spilling over her cheeks, and she quickly wiped them away. Out of all of her theories, Eve never considered that she had been responsible for her false memories…and she never predicted that she was the one to destroy her own town. Her heart was pounding inside her chest, and she felt her fingertips buzz with magic as her emotions swirled through her, but she made an effort to keep calm in front of the sorcerer. She slowly looked up at him, her eyes threatening to spill more tears. The sorcerer didn't look surprised in the slightest by Eve's reaction.

"Did you already know? About what really happened?" Her voice a whisper.

The sorcerer sat forward and clasped his hands together as he revealed a face full of dismay. "I approached Rumplestilskin about you in the early days of him training you in magic. I warned him that the Dark One shouldn't train the first Pure One to exist in ions – it would only lead to disaster. We fought, and the Dark One defeated me before casting a cloaking spell so that you and I would never see one another. However, I still kept track of you in any way I could so yes. I knew what really happened. I couldn't stop you from tearing that town apart."

Eve's eyes lowered to the floor as she took in the information, unsure what question to ask first. The sorcerer continued.

"And now that we are sitting here face-to-face, I assume that Rumplestilskin is dead and his cloaking spell along with him."

A fresh tear rolled down Eve's face. "What…What did you call me? The Pure One?"

The sorcerer looked genuinely shocked. "You mean you don't know?"

Eve just stared at him, unimpressed with the rhetorical question.

"Depending on your beliefs, it is said that all magic began with the Pure One. The Pure One was the first person to ever wield magic. As time passed, magic began to grow in more places as the Pure One travelled throughout the worlds and eventually, the Dark One was born and the Light One was born. Very soon, a war began between the Light and Dark Ones. The war was chaotic and impossible to win, as both sides were perfectly matched. Only the Pure One could determine who would win, depending on which side they chose to help. But being pure also meant being neutral, and so the Pure One refused to get involved in this horrible, horrible war. Both the Light and Dark One attempted to change the Pure One's mind – they even tried to force the Pure One. After a time, the Pure One realised that they would never be left alone and so they did something that can be thought of as extremely selfish, or extremely selfless. They destroyed themselves; stealing away the only thing that could win the war between Light and Dark."

Eve said nothing, replaying the history lesson in her mind. It made sense up to a certain point. "But…But if the Pure One destroyed itself, then why would you think that I'm the Pure One now?"

The sorcerer shrugged. "While we may be wielders of magic, we will never fully understand its nature. You could theorise that magic can never die, but it can be injured. You could guess that after the Pure One destroyed itself, or so it thought, it took many many years before the magic was fully healed and then fate did its job. Fate decided to place that Pure magic in you, Eve. Whatever may or may not be true about magic's history, one thing is certain. You are the Pure One."

Eve stood to her feet, ignoring that her knees wobbled and her feet were numb. "How can you know that? Where is the logic?"

The sorcerer stood to his feet then. "Don't tell me you didn't know you were special? You've seen your fair share of sorcerers in your young life. Didn't you always know that you were more powerful than all of them?"

Eve's brow furrowed and a new kind of adrenaline flowed through her; fear. "Yeah but I always just assumed that I would one day come across a sorcerer who was stronger. I mean…I trained with the Dark One for goodness sake! I could never beat him!"

"That's far from true, Eve, my child!" The sorcerer insisted. "You only feel that way because Rumplestilskin didn't admit to your true potential! He wanted to make sure you'd stay by his side rather than challenge his authority!"

"Be _very_ careful, Sir. I spent a long time with Rumplestilskin. I know and understand his true nature, and yet I can still promise you that he didn't control me. He respected me, and I him." Eve warned, feeling her anger bubble with need to defend Rumplestilskin.

"If you truly understood the Dark One, then at least you know that I don't lie when I tell that he has known about your true identity for a very long time." The sorcerer challenged, but with a hint of caution in his voice.

Eve clenched her jaw. She knew Rumple, and she knew that what the Sorcerer said was true. It now made sense why Rumple was so eager to train her. The question now was 'how much of their relationship was real?'. Did Rumple bring Eve to Storybrooke the way he did because he loved her, or because he didn't want to let go of such a powerful weapon like the Pure One? But this was a question that Eve would never have answered now that Rumple was dead, and she certainly wasn't going to let the sorcerer to have a guess.

"Thank you for your help, Sir. Now that I know the truth, I can move on…Or at least try to." Eve said, in a much calmer voice.

She made her way to the door, and the sorcerer simply stood and watched. Before she was about to step out the door, Eve turned back to him.

"I understand that you might see me as a terrible danger, and I wouldn't blame you after seeing what I did to my town but…But something is different now. I'm self-aware and I know the danger I could cause. I have no reason to bring terror to this land, and I've never set out to hurt people for just any reason. What happened to my family struck a nerve and I couldn't control myself – that's all true, but quite frankly; I don't have anyone else now. That weakness doesn't exist anymore. No one can hurt me anymore because I have nothing that can be harmed. So when I leave this home, Sir, I ask you not to fear me."

The old man exhaled deeply, giving Eve a surprising smile. He looked as though he were genuinely admiring her. "Eve, you are much wiser than I perceived you to be…Safe travels."

Eve gave the sorcerer the smallest of smiles before walking out the door, closing it behind her. She walked several steps before disappearing in a cloud of golden smoke.

That evening, Eve found herself in the cave where Rumplestilskin and she had their first adventure. This was where Eve saved Rumple from the monster impervious to magic, and as a result, needed to be saved by Rumple when she was slashed by the monster's poison-covered claws.

Everything that had happened to Eve in the last few years of her life where suddenly upon her, suffocating her like an avalanche of stone. She cried for the death of her father in the war, for the brutal deaths of her brothers and her mother, for all the people she killed in her hometown, and despite what she learned; she cried for the death of Rumplestilskin. She cried for her time in Storybrooke, for being alone for so long, for being tortured in watching Rumple reunite with his first love, Belle, and for the countless times she lied to Archie and Ruby. She also cried for all the times she could have helped people with her magic, but instead staying in the shadows and watching people struggle.

This overwhelming sense of dismay and guilt kept Eve in the cave for a little over six months. In that time, she used her magic only as a means to survive in the conditions of the cave. She occasionally practised magic, but became less and less interested in being productive. Instead of magic, she turned to art and over time; a large section of the cave was covered in her drawings.

One night, Eve was in the middle of a nightmare. She was a ghost, screaming at her body as she watched herself incinerate the town square, which was full of innocents as well as enemy guards. Eve could feel the horror of it all begin to wake her up, until suddenly she heard a familiar voice.

"Hey Eve!"

Eve turned around to see Archie, in human form, standing in front of her and suddenly they were in Archie's old office in Storybrooke. Eve was sitting on the edge of the sofa and Archie was in the chair opposite to her with a face full of worry.

"If you just told me more…I could help you, Eve."

Eve frowned, looking down at the floor in dismay. "I wanted to tell you but I was so sure that it was better for everyone if I stayed away."

Archie's tone of voice indicated a new nightmare. "You know that's a bunch of crap, Eve."

Eve looked up at Archie, unfamiliar with this cold side to her friend. The look in his eye was no longer warm and instead full of disappointment and frustration.

"You could've helped us countless times. You could have saved lives! You could have solved so many problems that took everyone else days to figure out! Instead all you did was care about yourself, and Rumplestilskin!"

Eve's throat was dry. "Archie, I'm so…"

"Sorry?" Archie cut her off, yelling now. "You're not sorry! If you were sorry, you would help us! You would stop wallowing in that cave, and you would come and find us! You would start trying to make up for your mistakes!"

"Archie, I'll never be able to make up for what I've done…" Eve replied feebly.

"Well you're definitely not making up for it down here! You owe it to everyone to at least try!" Archie shouted, standing up and stomping towards the door.

He opened the door and stopped to look back at Eve. "Stop denying who you are, and start making things right!"

Eve watched Archie leave the room, and with the booming sound of the door slamming, Eve woke up.

Within fifteen minutes of waking up, Eve was leaving the cave for the first time in half a year. It was night outside, but moon was almost full and filling the sky with a silver glow. As she walked along the sand, Eve conjured a map of the Enchanted Forest that she once saw at Rumple's castle. She searched for Regina's castle, assuming that it was the best place to start looking for Snow, Regina and the others.

Walking through golden smoke, Eve appeared in a large clearing with Regina's castle standing in front of her in the near distance. There were no indications of large battles, and the castle appeared to be in good condition so Eve had to assume that the gang had taken back the castle with surprising ease.

Eve would've entered the castle with magic initially, but thought the better of it when she considered the possibility that Regina may have cast a protection spell. Now that Eve knew she was the Pure One, she wasn't scared of being hurt but she understood the panic she would cause if the castle's security was breached. After walking for fifteen minutes, Eve had to look upwards to look at the castle's towers. She was about to call for Blue, when she sensed movement behind her.

Thinking that it may be a friendly, Eve calmly turned around with a smile on her lips ready to greet an old friend. Her expression disappeared when she saw the Sorcerer's Apprentice standing in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" Eve asked, shocked and slightly afraid.

"I'm sorry Eve, but I can't let you enter that castle." He warned gravely.

"I don't understand…I just want to start helping these people? It's about time I started trying to make up for things instead of hiding in a cave." Eve explained.

The old man shook his head. "There's too much that you don't understand. You'll only cause chaos if you interfere."

Eve stared in disbelief and watched the old man take a vile from his pocket. The blackness of the liquid looked sinister. Before Eve could react, the sorcerer opened the vile and threw it at Eve. As soon as the ink touched her skin, her whole body shimmered blue and she was frozen on the spot unable to move.

"I'm sorry Eve." The old man explained, walking towards her. "It's just too big a risk to let you play a part in these stories."


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: Thank you for all your reviews, favourites, and follows! It's great to get such positive feedback on the first thing I've ever published anywhere. I really appreciate all the feedback I've been given so far!**

Eve was in a cage of her own body. After the sorcerer sprayed her squid ink, he brought them back to his cottage where he placed her in the hidden cellar. To ensure that the effects of the squid ink would never wear off, the sorcerer constructed a structure over Eve's head where squid ink would drip over her four times a day so that she was constantly frozen.

This prison went on for what felt like forever. Occasionally, the Sorcerer would come down to the cellar to visit her. Sometimes he'd read stories to her, or even give her lectures on the history of magic. Every time he visited, he would always give her the same apology – or variations of it. She could tell that the old man hated himself for keeping her in such a state, but that didn't stop her from hating him too.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice had just left the cellar after refilling the supply of squid ink hovering over the living statue of Eve, and the frustration she felt burned as bright as it always did. It was starting to seem like the sorcerer planned on keeping Eve here forever – otherwise, why would he tell Eve so many secrets?

The realisation of the future intended for Eve was what sparked the adrenaline needed. Despite being doused in squid ink only an hour ago, Eve concentrated and channelled the adrenaline into her fingers. After a few minutes of swirling the adrenaline through every part of her hands, Eve dared to try wiggle her fingers – they moved! The success of such a small movement was enough to give Eve the surge of hope she needed and very quickly her whole body was tingling with enough adrenaline. Within ten minutes, she took a step forward; stepping out of her prison.

However, the effects of the squid ink were still taking hold of her to a certain degree, and so Eve made the rational decision to sit on the floor until the effects full wore off and she could simply teleport to safety. There was a part of her that wanted to go upstairs and kill the old man as soon as she was able, but she knew that he was only trying to do his best – and if she killed him, she'd only be proving him right. Instead, Eve would escape to safety, reunite with her friends and help them however she could and show the Sorcerer's Apprentice that she would stay on the path of good.

Within two hours, Eve was able to teleport and as soon as she decided this, she was gone. She reappeared in the forest surrounding Regina's castle, and was instantly horrified at the sight. Looking up at the balcony, Eve could see a storm cloud spilling over the balcony and through every open window. The cloud flashed with bright green, and then deep purple which was confusing as Eve had learned that every sorcerer had a specific colour. If someone had cast another curse, it should show signs of only one colour; not two.

"You can't stop it."

Eve turned her head and saw the Sorcerer's Apprentice standing in front of her, looking calm and unthreatening.

"How-?" Eve stammered, preparing to fight but the old man threw his hands up in peaceful surrender.

"I always knew there would come a day when you would question your imprisonment and break free. Deciding to do so was all it would take for a Pure One. I've been waiting for you to break free ever since I put you in that cellar."

"But why? What was the point if you knew I'd escape?" Eve demanded, utterly confused and still aware of the curse that was brewing behind her.

"I had to try to delay your input in the story" He explained calmly. "And I also wanted the chance to educate you – it was something I wanted to do ever since I knew who you were, but alas Rumplestilskin prevented our meeting to happen."

"You keep talking about the story!" Eve accused, slightly frustrated. "What story? And why can't I be a part of the story? Don't I have the right?"

The Sorcerer's Apprentice shrugged his shoulders and smiled sadly. "You'll understand eventually."

Eve realised that the old man wasn't going to give her sufficient answers on the subject, so she instead gestured to the curse behind her. "What do you know about this?"

"Regina has a sister – the Wicked Witch of Oz. Her name is Zelena and she has plans. From what I understand, Regina and Snow White found a way to stop her. They were planning to cast a curse to bring everyone back to Storybrooke – to stop Zelena's plans. But I fear that Zelena has just manipulated the curse in some way. I sense the manipulation of memory in this curse…But I suspect you won't be affected by that."

Eve took a moment to understand all of the information. "I won't lose my memory?"

He shook his head. "As luck would have it, the potion you took to regain your true memories has lasting effects…at least for a time. The effects of that potion won't wear off for another year or two, and for the time being; you are impervious to any memory manipulation spell – even if it is a part of something as powerful as a curse."

"Did you take the potion?" Eve asked, feeling a sudden mountain of pressure on her shoulders.

The old man shook his head sadly. "Alas, it is a potion that you can only take once every century or else you'll die. I'm afraid I took the potion 80-something years ago. I'll have to accept the full effects of this curse, like everyone else."

"So I'll be the only one to remember…" Eve summarised, looking on at the curse that was now flooding the skies above.

"Eve…" The sorcerer caught her attention again. "I've taught you much since we have met – even if it was against your will – for which I am truly sorry, but you must remember that when this curse takes us all; I'm not going to remember meeting you. As far as I'll be concerned, you are nothing but a young, immature woman with an obscene amount of power. I won't know the things that I have come to understand in the last six months. If I challenge you in the new edition of Storybrooke, please try to forgive me…But also defend yourself. You deserve to be free, even if I won't believe that in this new land."

In that moment, Eve's opinion of the Sorcerer's Apprentice was finally decided. He was just a man trying to keep the world together, with the best intentions for the masses. She suddenly felt emotional knowing that this old man wouldn't be someone she could trust not to harm her.

"Maybe I can persuade you again." She replied with a shaky breath. "I could prove you wrong a second time around."

The old man smiled, the curse seconds away. "I really hope so."

Before Eve could shout good luck, the curse enveloped and the world went dark.

Eve woke up in a daze and her first feeling was pain. It was as though Eve had been drinking ale for the last three days straight, and today was the first day of painful sobriety. Her brain was bouncing against the cage of her skull and the pain was terrible.

Sitting up, Eve's vision blurred for a moment before clearing and she realised she was lying the middle of the street – this must have been where she was running just as Pan's curse swept her up last year. Standing to her feet, Eve looked around at all sides and found herself alone in the street. The sight of Storybrooke was strange and she immediately missed the earthly comforts of the Enchanted Forest.

It took Eve several moments of standing around before the information came to her all at once. She remembered her conversation with the Sorcerer's Apprentice before the curse took them. She was the only one in this town that remembered what was going on, and realised the confusion everyone must be feeling. Without a moment of doubt, Eve took off in a jog in search of the nearest friend.

It wasn't until she was at the library crossroads that she saw Ruby and Granny walking down the road holding hands. Eve didn't think twice before sprinting towards them. Ruby looked relieved to see a familiar face, even if Eve had put her through a lot.

"EVE! You're here too?!" Ruby exclaimed, wrapping her slender arms around Eve.

"Everyone should be here, Ruby." Eve explained, looking around for more people. "How much do you remember?"

"We remember waiting for Peter Pan's curse to hit" Granny answered, looking Eve head to toe suspiciously. "But we're still here in Storybrooke…"

Eve chewed her lip. The curse did have an effect on everyone's memories. As far as they were concerned, Pan's curse never took them back to Storybrooke.

"Ruby, we need to find everyone else. I know what's going on." Eve calmly explained.

Ruby innocently nodded her head, ready to get to work but Granny grabbed her granddaughter's arm as she scowled at Eve. "How come you know what's going on? You involved with Pan or something?"

"Granny!" Ruby yelled in horror. "How can you accuse Eve of such a thing!"

"Can you blame me?" Granny barked back. "Eve is one of the sketchiest people we've ever had in Storybrooke!"

Eve looked down at the ground in silence. She realised she deserved that kind of opinion from these people.

"I promise I'm not responsible for any of this mess" Eve piped up before Ruby could begin arguing. "I just have my memories. I can explain why, but maybe we should find Snow and Regina; they're a part of this."

The two women exchanged looks until Granny rolled her eyes in defeat. "Fine! We'll go find Snow! But mark my words girl, I don't trust you!"

Eve ignored Granny's comment and Ruby smiled at her apologetically, before the three of them began walking in the direction of Snow's apartment.

"And how exactly do you know all of this?" Regina sneered, taking several steps towards Eve.

"Regina, there's no need to be aggressive" Emma warned.

Eve was surprised to see Emma back in town so soon after everyone arrived back in Storybrooke, but she didn't ask any questions. Instead, Eve had to be the one to answer them.

"But Regina has a point, Eve" Emma admitted. "It doesn't make sense why you would have your memories intact while the rest of them are clueless."

Eve nodded in understanding. "It's a long story but…Basically, once we landed in the Enchanted Forest, I disappeared in search for my family. The rest of you were going to band together and find Regina's castle – with Snow and Regina ruling alongside one another. I, however, didn't see any of this happen because when I went looking for my family…"

Eve realised that she hadn't spoken to anyone about her family since the first day she found out they were dead. The thought broke her heart all over again, and Eve had to take a deep breath, keeping her eyes to the floor.

"My family were dead, even though I had memories of saving them." Eve felt the room fill with tension. "I asked for Blue's help and she pointed me in the direction of a man known as the Sorcerer's Apprentice."

Eve watched Emma look to Snow and Regina for confirmation, and both of them nodded solemnly in response.

"The sorcerer agreed to help me, and he gave me a potion that restores one's true memory. I spent some time with him after that before eventually, I realised that I needed to come back to you guys and help in whatever way I could. However, when I finally arrived at Regina's castle, a curse had been enacted. The Sorcerer's Apprentice then appeared before I could go investigate, and he warned me that a wicked witch called Zelena was making plans…Bad plans.

"From what the sorcerer told me, I understand that the curse was enacted by you, Regina. It was you and Snow's attempt to stop Zelena's plan – whatever it was. However, Zelena added her own magic to Regina's curse.

"The sorcerer knew all of this somehow, and he knew that no one would remember the year that has passed, which is why he came to me. He warned me that the memory potion he gave me had effects that don't wear off for a couple of years; meaning that by chance, I would impervious to any memory manipulation in Zelena's part of the curse."

"Well isn't that convenient." Regina the first to reply.

"She's telling the truth, Regina." Emma spoke firmly, interrupting whatever protest Regina was trying to make.

"Eve…" Snow called softly, genuine tears filling her eyes. "I'm so sorry about your family."

The tone in the room changed when Snow said that, and Eve suddenly felt very uncomfortable. She gave Snow an awkward smile, unsure if she could speak in that moment.

"If you don't mind me asking, Eve…" Emma spoke up, clearly understanding Eve's discomfort. "In your false memories, how did you try to save your family from the first curse?"

Eve's heart fluttered, remembering that if she lied, Emma would know. "I got help from a sorcerer…But he turned out not to be the man I thought he was…"

Emma simply nodded, looking unsure herself as to how to get past the subject.

"I should probably go. I know you all have a bit of catching up to do…At least I'm sure Emma does" Eve said, making her way to the door. "I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you more. If I had come to find you guys sooner back in the Enchanted Forest, maybe I could be of more help…"

"Eve" David cut her off with a gentle tone. "You've helped out more than you can imagine. Thank you so much for coming by and filling us in."

Eve responded with a genuine smile. "If I can help, just give me a call and I'll do my best."

And with that, Eve left the apartment full of heroes and at the bottom of the stairs, she disappeared into golden smoke. She reappeared in the forest, surprised to see her treehouse still standing despite the multiple curses it had to endure. She climbed the ladder, walked over to her bedroom, flung herself on top of the bed and proceeded to breakdown into tears. The loneliness overwhelming her.

After sharing her memories with the Charmings and Regina, Eve didn't see them any time soon after that, despite Eve's efforts to appear in town more frequently. In the following week, she made a point of walking throughout the town almost every day. It wasn't until three days had passed that she heard a voice that she really needed to hear as she stood outside Granny's diner.

"Eve?" Archie called in a gentle voice.

Eve turned around slowly to see Archie standing several steps away, with an umbrella in one hand and a briefcase in the other. When Eve wordlessly rushed in to his arms, Archie dropped everything to the ground and gave her the best hug Eve had ever received.

"Eve, I'm so sorry." Archie choked out as they held each other.

"Me too." Eve murmured into his shoulder, grateful to feel so protected for once.

"Do you want to go talk somewhere?" Archie asked when they finally pulled away from each other.

Eve glanced up to the diner, watching all the people sitting at tables and at the bar. "Maybe somewhere a bit more private?"

Archie smiled kindly at her, giving her a nod. Eve linked her arm through his and they began walking in the direction of the park.

"Snow told me everything that happened…" Archie began, as they began circling a lagoon. "I was going to contact you but I didn't think you would answer the phone. Quite frankly, I was surprised to see you walking around the town."

Eve shrugged. "I made a conscious decision not to hide away in the forest this time."

"What happened to your family…I'm so sorry you went through all of that on your own."

"To be honest, Archie, I didn't give myself time to think about much at the start." She explained. "Once I realised that my memories were messed with, I just focused on finding the truth. And once I found out the truth, the Apprentice was a big distraction."

"You spent some time with him? He's one of the most powerful Light sorcerers in the Enchanted Forest, from what I understand."

"He taught me a lot" Eve shrugged. "But eventually I realised I needed to come find you all and start helping with things but…But my timing was really bad."

"It could've probably been better." Archie admitted with a friendly smile. "But I'm glad you still came to find us all the same. I wouldn't remember but I'm sure I missed you terribly!"

Eve cracked a smile. "I missed you too."

"And about him. About Rumplestilskin…" Archie began, his voice suddenly sounding nervous. "That couldn't have been easy for you."

Eve shook her head slowly. "We don't need to talk about that right now."

"Of course, I won't force you to." Archie replied gently.

Eve laughed, but it was dark and without humour. "I don't know how to feel about it, that's why. I learned a few things from Sorcerer's Apprentice and…And now I don't know if he and I were ever on the same page. He kept secrets from me that I deserved to know."

"And because of all of that" Archie spoke slowly "you're questioning how you feel about him?"

Eve's walk slowed; this wasn't a question she had asked herself before but she knew the answer. "Stupidly, yes. I still love him, and I-

Eve's voice choked and she had to swallow, fighting back tears. She felt Archie's grip on her arm tighten as he tried to support her.

"Things have been really hard, Archie" Eve whispered, feeling a tear roll down her cheek. "I've lost so much that I don't know what to do with myself anymore."

Eve dared to look Archie in the eye as he began to say something, but she was immediately distracted by a figure moving through the air behind Archie. It was heading straight towards them; it had wings and looked strangely like a monkey.

"Archie, look out!" Eve cried.

Without hesitation, Eve threw Archie out of harm's way and then filling her hands with magic; she shot two streams of golden energy which hit the creature square in the chest. It screeched as it was brought to a halt, and within seconds, the golden light covered its entire body and it exploded into a cloud of smoke and sparks.

Unfazed, Eve walked over to Archie and offered him a hand up to his feet. She was confused by Archie's horrified expression before she quickly realised what just happened. Archie just saw her use magic. No wonder he didn't take her hand, and instead sat on the ground with his jaw hanging.

"Eve…" He stammered. "Eve- you can use magic?"

Eve saw a mixture of emotions in Archie's eyes. One of them was fear, and so she made the decision to distance herself from Archie as he stood to his feet by himself. She folded her arms and watched him dust himself down.

"How long have you been using magic?" He asked, feeling more confident in his words now.

Eve chewed her lip. She could always lie and tell Archie that the Sorcerer's Apprentice had taught her magic in the last year, and it would be easy. But Eve was so lonely, and keeping more secrets wasn't going to help improve that. The truth of it all caused a wave of guilt to wash over Eve, and she felt her eyes water again.

"I-I've always been able to use magic" She choked out eventually. "But Rumple convinced me it was too dangerous to tell anyone…"

Archie's jaw clenched, and Eve's heart broke as she watched her friend's eyes fill with immense disappointment.

"Archie" Tears spilled down Eve's cheeks. "You have to promise me you won't tell anyone."

"You could've helped us so many times, Eve." Archie replied flatly, looking her in the eyes.

"And instead I just stayed in the shadows and watched you all struggle through so many problems…" Eve continued in a shaky voice. "Archie, I met Rumplestilskin because he offered to train me. It's how we got to know each other. He always told me that I couldn't interfere. It was one of his last instructions before Regina's curse."

"Rumplestilskin controlled you?" Archie asked, his tone indicating that he could lean towards sympathy depending on Eve's answer.

Eve shrugged defeated. "Rumple was all I knew, Archie. He found me before my magic even matured. He was the only one who knew – not even my own family knew what I could do! I kept it from them because I didn't want them to get hurt."

Archie barely nodded, and cast his eyes down to the ground where there was a small pile of ashes.

"Archie, please promise me you won't tell anyone." Eve begged. "I'm not going to keep this secret much longer, I promise but…But there's a few things I need to think about before I do that. My magic isn't too safe at the moment after everything that has happened. I need to regain control over it or else I'll be nothing but a danger to you all."

Archie looked up at Eve again after several moments. He looked grim, but not as angry. After a long look shared between the two of them, Archie nodded.

"I'm trusting you, Eve, but only because you've been through so much and you need someone right now." He replied, his tone returning to its normal kindness.

As risky as it was, Eve walked over and gave Archie a hug and she was surprised to feel him hugging her back. She looked over at the pile of ash and shook her head.

"Do you have any idea what that was?" She asked.

"No" Archie replied, shaking his head. "And while we don't have to tell them everything, we do need to report this to Snow and the others."

"Agreed" Eve nodded, and the two began walking side by side towards the park's exit.

Testing her boundaries, Eve conjured the golden smoke without warning. Archie looked over at her with a worried look on his face, but she just gave him a reassuring smile before linking into his arm and leading him through the smoke.


	18. Chapter 18

Emma and the others had just returned from the forest when Eve and Archie appeared at Snow's apartment to tell them about the flying monkey attack. Neither of them had to go into any details, as it was apparent that several people were being attacked all over town.

"How did you get away, Grasshopper?" Regina asked. "Did you hit it with your umbrella?"

Eve held her breath, watching Archie struggle for an answer before she interjected. "We just started hitting it with stones…"

"Stones?" Regina asked with a raised brow.

"Stones." Archie confirmed with a clenched jaw.

Regina looked doubtful, but Eve reckoned that the woman simply didn't care enough about her or Archie to question it further. The conversation in the room was then led by Emma and Regina as the gang decided what the next thing to do was, and so Archie and Eve could slip away without being noticed.

"I'd put money on it that those creatures belong to Zelena." Eve said quietly as the two walked down the street.

"I didn't like lying back there." Archie replied, looking mildly angry.

"You won't have to lie again like that" Eve said, bring the two of them to a halt in the middle of the street. "Because I'm going to go away, regain control of my magic and then I'll help everyone."

"I think that sounds like a good idea" Archie agreed in a grim voice.

Eve threw her arms around Archie unexpectedly. "Thank you for being so understanding today. I need to go home and get to work so please just stay safe, okay?"

"You too" Archie murmured in her ear as he hugged her back, and with that; Eve disappeared into smoke.

Three days passed and Eve was still confining herself to the forest, regaining control of her magic just as she promised Archie. The first day was difficult and full of failures, but by the end of the second day, Eve was improving. She was feeling her confidence come back and her woes were becoming more and more suppressed.

Towards the end of the third day, as the sun began to set, Eve was throwing up multiple stones with the intention to blast each one with fire before it touched the ground. She was interrupted by the sound of movement behind her. Turning around, she saw the Sorcerer's Apprentice step into view.

"Eve, isn't it?"

Eve remembered the last words this man had told her before the curse hit them. This man was a danger to her without his memories intact.

She smiled. "It's nice to see you again, Sir."

"I've been told that we met in the Enchanted Forest?" He asked as he paced slowly to Eve's left.

"Yes." Eve replied calmly, making sure he never walked out of her vision. "You helped me. You told me things…You're the reason why the curse didn't affect me like it did the rest of you."

"The memory potion" He nodded in agreement. "That was lucky, wasn't it?"

"Why are you here, Sir?" Eve asked, starting to fear the man was there to challenge her.

"I'm here to give you some advice, child."

Eve frowned. "Advice?"

The man nodded, still pacing. "I know you're planning to reveal your true identity to the people of this town, so that you may help them…"

The Apprentice was cut off at the sound of Eve's phone going off. She dug into her pocket and saw it was Archie, so she ignored the call. She nodded at the old man to continue.

"As I was saying...You may have good intentions but…"

Eve was distracted as Archie sent her a message. When she read it, her heart skipped a beat.

"Rumplestilskin is alive. Please call me back!"

Eve looked up from her phone, wide-eyed as she made eye contact with the Apprentice.

"I'm so sorry to be rude, but I really have to go. I'm sorry." Eve apologised, as she backed into a cloud of smoke before the old man could do anything.

"Archie!" Eve said loudly into the phone as she walked along the main street. "Where are you?"

"I'm at Granny's, do you want to meet me?" Archie asked, sounding nervous.

"That probably isn't a good idea. Meet me out back in one minute." Eve replied, hanging up when she was finished talking.

Appearing behind Granny's diner almost instantly, Eve paced nervously as she waited for Archie to walk out the back entrance.

"Eve" Archie greeted her, looking stressed.

"Is it true? Is Rumple alive?" Eve asked.

"Emma and David found a house on the outskirts of town which they believe is Zelena's hideout. When they were searching the place, they found an outdoor basement with a cage…There was a spinning wheel and gold thread in the cage."

Eve's stomach flipped. It was a sure sign that Rumplestilskin was being held captive by Zelena somehow. More importantly, it was a sure sign that Rumple was alive.

"Neal's dead." Archie said, breaking Eve's train of thought.

"What?" She knew Neal's connection to Rumple.

"Zelena killed him. Rumplestilskin tried to save him by…morphing together with him. He died in Emma's arms this morning – Rumplestilskin was there, but Zelena took him away before anyone could do anything."

"Does Belle know?" Eve asked after a moment.

Archie blinked, surprised by the question. "The guys should be in the middle of telling her right now. Why?"

Eve gave Archie a quick hug and began walking backwards away from him. "I have to go, Archie. Thank you so much for telling me!"

Archie started frowning and shaking his head. "Eve, wait! You can't just…"

"Archie, I can save him! I can beat this Zelena bitch, and I can save Rumplestilskin!" Eve promised before disappearing in a cloud of smoke before Archie could further protest.

Eve watched the Charmings and Emma exit the pawn shop before she crossed the street and stepped through the front door. The bell rang just before Belle could disappear back through the curtains at the back of the room. When she spun around, she was confused to see Eve standing in the shop.

"…Eve? What are you doing here?" Belle asked, not making any attempt to properly step back into the shop's front room.

"I can save him, Belle." Eve declared, taking a few steps closer to where Belle stood.

Belle raised an eyebrow. "How? Everyone thinks Zelena is holding him captive…"

Eve unclenched her hands and raised them to show Belle, before she started pouring magic into her hands so that they glowed. Belle took a step back and was now against the wall, looking afraid.

"Oh no, Belle!" Eve said, cancelling the magic. "I'm not threatening you!"

"Since when can you do magic?" Belle asked cautiously.

"Look, it's a long story but I've always been able to do magic. Rumple told me to keep it a secret, and that's what I've done this whole time." Eve explained.

"So you and Rumple do know each other" Belle murmured, looking slightly irritated.

"Again, it's a long story but yes. Rumple just doesn't remember it for some reason…"

Belle folded her arms and took a few steps forwarded, her mind clearly whirling. "Does Emma know about you?"

"No" Eve answered matter-of-factly. "Very few people do. But I plan on changing that, I swear. I want to help, starting with saving Rumple."

"And you really think you can defeat Zelena?" Belle asked, a hint of disbelief in her voice.

"Oh, I know I can." Eve promised. "But right now my priority is freeing Rumple. I just thought I should come by and let you know that in case you were worrying about him. I'm going to go find him right now."

Eve began walking out the shop, but Belle forced her to stop.

"Wait! She called. "Don't you want help?"

Eve turned back around to face Belle. "Honestly Belle, people are just going to get hurt. I'll be okay on my own. Please don't try to follow me, you know Rumple would want you safe."

"Why do you care about him?" Belle called, bringing Eve to a halt once again.

Eve didn't turn around again, and just stared out the door at the street. "I owe him a lot."

And with that, Eve disappeared through the door.

It took Eve a little over a half hour before she finally located Zelena's apparent hideout. It was a nice cabin-like house with a balcony, but Eve didn't go near it as she didn't sense any magical presence in the house. The magical properties emanated in the outhouse basement several metres from the house. Eve paced towards it in a jog before throwing her arms out, completely blasting the doors off their hinges before leaping down the steps.

The basement was small, and had a low ceiling. It was cold and damp and the floor was cement and molded. The only thing in the room was a cage full of golden straw, a spinning wheel, and Rumplestilskin sitting on a stool looking hollow. He must have thought Eve was Zelena because he didn't even bother raising his head to look at her.

"We've come a very long way, you know." Eve spoke up, stepping towards the cage to assess the protection spells that covered it.

Rumple's head snapped up and he looked irritated immediately. "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing down here?"

"I thought it was obvious?" Eve asked, not looking him in the eye as she raised her hands and started melting away the spells with minimal effort.

"Idiot. You're wasting your time." Rumple growled, standing to his feet.

"How so?" Eve asked half-heartedly as she concentrated on breaking down the final protection spell.

"Why do you think I'm down here?!" He growled, and suddenly the realisation came to Eve.

"Oh no…She has the dagger, doesn't she?" Eve froze, and then kicked the cage in frustration. "How could I not realise?!"

Rumple didn't respond and just glared at her. Eve realised another important fact.

"I'm so sorry about your son, Rumple." She said, her heart aching for him as she said the words.

Rumple remained silent, and sat back down on the stool curling his hands into fists until his knuckles turned white. Eve watched him for several moments before stepping forward and pulling the cage door open and standing to the side waiting.

"Are you stupid?" Rumple sneered. "What's the point if Zelena has the dagger?"

"I'm not going to leave you down here, Rumple" Eve explained. "Now you either come with me now, or I drag you out."

"As if you could…" Rumple chuckled darkly.

Eve grinned, her eyes filled with an equal amount of darkness. "As much as I want to prove you wrong, time is of the essence. Now march out of this damn cage Rumplestilskin, I won't leave you!"

Rumple looked slightly surprised and he studied Eve's expression for several moments before slowly standing to his feet. "Well don't say I didn't warn you, dearie."

Eve just smiled and followed Rumple up the basement steps until they were standing in daylight surrounded by fields and forestry. Rumple was squinting at his surroundings before he turned to face Eve.

"Look, whatever you're getting out of this; it's pointless. Don't you see?" He said with a frustrated tone. "The moment Zelena realises what's happening, she'll pop out of thin air and force me to kill you."

"Then I guess I better get that dagger from her before you kill me, right?" Eve shrugged her shoulders and then folded her arms.

Rumple's face crumpled into further frustration. "I don't think you realise the danger you're getting yourself into?!"

"Rumple, for the love of god, would you shut up!" Eve hissed, getting irritated with everyone doubting her confidence. "You're not going to kill me!"

Rumple opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped – his expression changing to one of dread. "Look, I appreciate the effort you must have gone to, but I've been summoned dearie. You need to get as far away from me as possible, alright?"

Eve frowned in confusion, watching Rumple conjure a cloud of purple smoke. After a moment of hesitation, she charged forward and followed Rumple through the smoke.

Eve found herself falling to the ground, knocking Rumple over with her. They were at one of the highest peaks of the forest, where there was a clearing looking over the whole town. There was a red-haired woman standing with her arms folded and the dagger dangling from one gloved hand. She frowned in confusion, before her eyes gleamed with rage.

"Rumple! Why is this…this girl with you?! Who are you?" Zelena demanded, gripping the dagger tightly as both Eve and Rumple stood to their feet.

"You're Zelena?" Eve asked, looking the woman up and down.

"Rumple, who does she think she is?!" Zelena bellowed.

"I think you're the stupidest person I've ever met" Rumple hissed at Eve, not even trying to find Eve a way to safety.

"So Zelena" Eve began, ignoring Rumple's comment. "I was led to believe that you're pretty powerful. That can't be true obviously, otherwise why would you need help from the Dark One?"

Eve was planning for this to spur Zelena to attack her, but it became clear that Zelena saw nothing but a nobody standing in front of her.

"Rumple, we have things to do – deal with this stupid girl, and then come find me." Zelena ordered dead pan before disappearing in emerald green smoke.

Eve scoffed at Zelena's lack of reaction, before realising what had just happened. She slowly turned to face Rumple, who looked angry; but also looked sorry.

"I…I told you that this was a big mistake." Rumple stammered. "I warned you, and yet you still put me in this position."

Eve suddenly felt pretty guilty. She really didn't expect things to go this way – but that was her fault, and now she was going to have to face the wrath of the Dark One. She really didn't know if she could survive this.

Rumple took a step forward, his hands beginning to glow with an ominous purple. "Please don't take this personally, but I have no other choice."

And with that, Rumple threw two streams of Dark magic in Eve's direction. She leaped out of the way in the nick of time, diving to the ground in a roll before coming back to her feet only to deflect another stream of energy with a golden bubble of protection.

"Isn't there any way you can fight it?" Eve called out over the loud crackling of magic.

"If I could" Rumple yelled back. "Don't you think I would have saved my son's life?!"

Eve's protection spell burst due to Rumple's surge of frustration, and she was knocked backwards. She flew several metres through the air before her back hit against a tree, bringing her to a halt. She groaned in pain, but had to force herself to roll out of harm's way as Rumple attacked again. Rumple suddenly disappeared, and then reappeared directly in front of Eve. Before Eve could move, Rumple had her in a chokehold and raised her into the air with a single arm. Eve looked down at him as she started choking.

"I'm really sorry" Rumple's voice shook, and a tear rolled down his cheek.

Eve's own frustration at that sight gave her the strength she needed. She poured magic into her hands until they glowed with a golden light so bright that Rumple had to look away. She clamped her hands down on Rumple's grip and he cried out, instantly releasing Eve. Before Eve even hit the ground, she disappeared and reappeared behind Rumple. However, the Dark One reacted quickly and instead of pushing Rumple down to the ground face-first, the two went down face-to-face and began rolling on the ground fighting for the upper hand.

"You've always got ideas!" Eve managed to growl mid-wrestling. "Tell me how to get the dagger from Zelena!"

"It's a foolish quest!" Rumple grunted. "Zelena will just force my hand to defend her before you could get anywhere near her!"

Eve didn't answer, as she finally won the upper hand. She pinned Rumple to the ground with her knees on his hands and her hands on his shoulders. Her entire body was glowing with golden, protective magic. Rumple was powerless to harm her.

"How are you doing this?" Rumple asked, sounding terrified for his life.

Looking into Rumple's eyes, filled with such desperation and fear made her tear up. She hated what she was forcing him to do, and she could feel his Dark magic building up; putting pressure against her protection spell.

"I'm so sorry, Rumple." She whimpered, looking into his eyes as hers watered. "I'm going to save you."

Before Rumple could say anything, or his magic could break through, Eve leaned down and kiss Rumple softly on his cheek before sitting back up and disappearing into golden smoke.

Eve reappeared at the ground beneath her treehouse beside the ladder. She grasped the bars at the side and placed one foot on the step, but before she pull herself up; the world turned black.

Eve's eyelids were heavy, but after several attempts, she successfully opened them. She was lying on her back, on her bed in her treehouse. She stared at the ceiling for several moments before slowly sitting up to find the Sorcerer's Apprentice sitting on a chair at the end of the bed.

"What happened?" Eve asked, leaping off of the bed; only to stumble before catching herself with the bed.

"Relax, child." The old man replied gently, not leaving his seat.

"Did you bring me up here?" She asked doubtfully.

"I found you unconscious beside the ladder. I spent the whole night, morning and afternoon waiting for you to wake up."

"I've been asleep all day?!" Eve cried, looking out the window to see that the sun was setting through the trees.

"You went up against the Dark One and survived. You're one of the very few people in history to manage that. A day's rest is the least you should've needed before waking." He replied matter-of-factly, finally rising from the chair to pace around the room.

"Why are you here?" Eve asked grimly, remembering that this wasn't the same old man that she shared a mutual respect with back in the Enchanted Forest.

"We have a problem on our hands" The sorcerer began. "Zelena knows what you are – or at least has a fair idea. Her plans have been changed since your involvement. We need to correct that."

"Then let's go kick her ass" Eve said, slowly standing to her feet and successfully staying upright.

"That is a job for the heroes of this town" The old man warned. "At least until they show signs of surely failing in their efforts. No. We need to prioritise getting rid of Zelena's memories of meeting you yesterday."

"Huh?" Eve frowned in confusion. "Why is that so important? What does it matter that she knows what I am? It's not going to stop me from defeating her?"

"As I was trying to warn you yesterday before you went off on your lonely quest" The old man's voice raised slightly. "Your involvement in the story is extremely dangerous. You completely alter things."

"The story?" Eve echoed, remembering something the sorcerer told her in the Enchanted Forest.

"Yes, the story." He repeated grimly. "I'll explain what I mean, but first, we need to correct your mistake. We need to do it tonight."

"Are you suggesting that we steal Zelena's memories of me?" Eve asked doubtfully.

"It's a relatively easy spell to conjure." The old man reasoned.

"I know it is" Eve stated flatly. "But there's a lot more to think about in this plan than the standard of the spell."

"Which is precisely why I need your help to do it." He replied. "I need you distract Rumplestilskin, while I visit Zelena as she sleeps."

Eve scoffed. "Distract Rumple? As long as Zelena is asleep, we don't need to worry about Rumple. He won't attack us without being instructed to do so."

"Since your interaction with Zelena, she announced to the whole town that her home is off-limits as the Dark One has now been ordered to kill anyone on-sight."

"Oh…" Eve responded, deflated. "So you need me to fight off Rumple long enough for you to do whatever you need to do to Zelena?"

"Precisely."

"Well why don't you just destroy Zelena? Or at least steal the dagger?" Eve asked, glaring at him.

"It simply isn't my place to do that" He calmly responded.

Eve fell silent for a few moments, hating the sorcerer for saying such a thing only to realise that it was a mentality she had once shared.

"The Pure One fighting the Dark One?" She said eventually. "That isn't exactly a quiet battle. I hope you have a noise-cancelling spell up your sleeve if you want this plan to work."

The old man cracked a smile. "Yes, I do actually."

Eve looked at him for several moments. "Right then. When do we do this?"


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: Sorry another delayed update on this story. I'm due to move back to my usual place soon so hopefully the Wifi will be far more reliable! Thank you to everyone who has left a review so far! I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying the story!**

It was one in the morning, and Eve was exhausted, but didn't complain. The half-moon lit up the night sky quite successfully, and the walk towards Zelena's house was less eerie. The sorcerer and she barely exchanged words as they approached the tree line before the clearing where the house stood. Eve watched the sorcerer raise two hands in the air as light magic poured out of his hands, creating a relatively large dome around the entire clearing.

"The Dark One will have sensed the Light magic" The old man whispered. "You need to appear in the clearing quickly, while I work on getting into Zelena's bed chamber."

Eve didn't respond, and instead disappeared.

Reappearing instantly several hundred yards from the house; Eve spotted Rumplestilskin straight away. He was already looking at her, waiting. A few seconds dragged by, and then he charged. Eve was immediately thrown to the ground, with Rumple on top of her.

"How stupid can you get?!" Rumple hissed. "You need to leave now!"

"I can't do that!" Eve hissed back, and with a grunt of effort she managed to throw Rumple across the clearing.

Rumple fell on his back, but was on his feet before Eve could reach him. However, she had prepared for that and had a glowing golden fist waiting. She hit him straight in the chest and he flew backwards. He hit the ground, but tumbled backwards until he gracefully came to his feet. Whatever instructions Zelena had given him, she must have specified that Rumple be in his best fighting mode.

Rumple disappeared, and Eve didn't even hesitate. She flew her arms out wide and conjured an orb of energy around her, and Rumple reappeared just in time to get caught full-force by the blast judging by the groan Eve heard from behind her. She turned around and watched Rumple stagger, but stay on his feet before flinging his own orb of energy in her direction. She moved out of immediate danger, but still caught some of the blast on one side of her and it sizzled into her skin. She screamed out in pain, but then bit down on her lip as she forced herself to heal at incredible speed.

Disappearing into the sky with a massive leap, Eve gave herself a moment to collect her thoughts and plan her next attack as Rumple was on the ground watching her descend. Before she fell back to Earth, she disappeared into thin air and reappeared just to Rumple's side with a handful of golden light ready. Her fist connected with his jaw and Rumple went spiralling to the ground and continued to roll for several feet. When he rose to his feet, he gave Eve a brief look of fear before he charged.

The look of fear in Rumple's eyes had thrown Eve off completely. Was he afraid for his life, or for hers? The moment of hesitation cost her dearly, and she failed to avoid Rumple's attack. When he got close enough, Rumple slammed two glowing hands on Eve's shoulders and held on. The Dark magic rattled through her body in horrible vibrations and Eve let out a quiet scream, but Rumple kept hold of her and stared into her eyes as he did so – his eyes full of regret. What felt like an eternity passed and Rumple shook his head in confusion.

"How…How are you still alive?" Rumple pleaded with gritted teeth.

Eve didn't reply and instead found one last bit of strength to conjure enough magic to throw herself backwards out of Rumple's grasp. She happily flew backwards and landed on the ground, out of breath and feeling exhaustion begin to overcome her. When Rumple recovered, he began walking towards her with a limp. She dragged herself to her feet, unsure how she managed it.

"I'm the Pure One, Rumple." Eve muttered. "You've known that for a very long time."

Rumple shook his head. "I don't believe you."

Eve barely dodged a stream of purple light. She rolled to the ground, missing the attack by millimetres and then deflected another before even having a chance to get back onto her feet. She could've gotten up, but a thought was starting to ring in her head. If she wasn't careful, one of them could die tonight.

"I'm sorry this is happening to you!" Eve roared over the sound of Dark magic hitting against her golden protective orb.

"What are we to each other?!" Rumple roared back, with a hint of desperation in his voice.

Eve opened her mouth to respond, when suddenly a bright white light emerged from the distance and hit Rumple's back. He instantly fell to the ground and the Sorcerer's Apprentice appeared at Eve's side and pulled her to her feet. She didn't even have time to check if Rumple was okay before the Sorcerer teleported them to safety.

The Sorcerer guided Eve to the nearest sofa and she happily fell back into the seat, exhausted and out of breath.

"Did you get it done?" She breathed, watching him as he slowly paced around the living room with his hands clasped together behind his back.

"Our mission was successful, thanks to your efforts." He replied evenly, not looking in her direction.

"Good…" Eve mumbled tiredly as she shuffled herself to edge of the sofa, ready to stand to her feet. "…You know you could've brought us back my place."

"No. This was the best place to go." The sorcerer insisted, his tone suddenly grave.

Eve sensed that something was wrong, but before she could do anything, the sorcerer moved quickly. Suddenly he was in front of her and she felt liquid hit her skin. She looked down and saw the black ink and the blue light begin to cover her body; freezing her in place. Her eyes looked up at the sorcerer in shock.

"I'm sorry that this has to be how tonight ends, Eve." The old man began. "You have good intentions, I believe that. But you're simply too dangerous. You can't be a part of the story, and so I have no choice but to make sure you stay out of it."

Eve wanted to scream out of frustration, but couldn't. If she hadn't just battled the Dark One two days in a row, she probably would've been able to fight off the effects of the squid ink in enough time to get away from the old man. Unfortunately, all she could do was feel the ink's effect drown her until she felt her magic go completely numb.

With angry eyes, she watched the old man produce a leather bound, rectangle-shaped book with the golden letters spelling out "Once Upon A Time". She had never seen it before, but she had heard of it from the friends she had in Storybrooke. It played a big part in Regina's curse, and Storybrooke's existence.

"I have no choice but to entrap you in this book along with another individual that I was forced to take out of the story. His magic is Pure, like yours."

Eve would have frowned in confusion if she could. Another Pure one? Surely not. The old man was only scaring her, or confusing her enough so that she couldn't try to save herself. She watched him open the book onto a page with an illustration of a book, before pulling a key from his pocket.

"I'm truly sorry that this is your fate, Eve, but it's for the greater good."

Eve watched the key touch the page of the book, and the last thing she saw of this world was a bright light.

Eve suddenly found herself lying on a wooden floor staring up at a high ceiling with wooden beams running horizontally. She smelled food cooking and she felt a fire roaring to her right. She was unable to move, as the squid ink's effects still had a hold on her but she was able to turn her head. A small, dark-haired man was standing several metres away with his jaw hanging open and his eyes wide as he stared down at her.

"Who-who the hell are you?" His voice was slightly high-pitched as he stammered.

Eve grunted, testing her vocal chords before opening her mouth to speak. "Who are you?"

"I asked you first!" The man replied, threatening her with a metal ladle in his hand.

"Eve…" She answered with a sigh. "My name is Eve. Where are we?"

"You mean you don't know?" The man cried out in surprise. "We're in the book, of course!"

"We're in the book?" Eve echoed. "Who are you then?"

"Oh…" The man lowered his ladle and gave her a small bow. "The name is Isaac!"


	20. Chapter 20

When the bright dots in her vision finally cleared, Eve could see Snow White, Prince David, and Emma Swan standing on the opposite side of a cabin – they were staring at her open-mouthed and in a state of shock. When she saw Isaac lying unconscious to her left, she took advantage of everyone's surprise and froze everyone. Except David.

"Eve!" David exclaimed in a mixture of horror, confusion and outrage as he glanced over to see his wife and daughter frozen on the spot.

"David, what's happening?" Eve asked, looking around the room wildly.

"We were looking for the author. He was locked away in the book! Why were you in there?! We thought you died…" David answered, frowning in confusion.

Eve looked down at Isaac before slowly looking back up at the prince. "I know this is really confusing, but can you please give me a minute-long summary of what I've missed? Zelena, where is she?"

"Zelena?" David huffed. "We defeated her months ago! Since you disappeared, we defeated her and then the Snow Queen came to Storybrooke and tried to kill us all. But Emma defeated her. Now Rumplestilskin and a group of villains have joined together to search for the author so that they can get happy endings. We had to stop them, or at least get to the author first."

Eve admired David for being calm enough to give her so much information in a short amount of time. "So I've been gone for how long? A year?"

David nodded slowly. "Eve, since when could you do magic? And why were you trapped in the book the author?"

David was half-way through a third question when Eve froze him too. She raised both hands in the air and closed her eyes, extracting memories from all three heroes so that when they were unfrozen; all they would remember was seeing Isaac emerge from the book. When she tried to perform the same spell on the still-unconscious Isaac, she was unsuccessful but didn't dwell on it. She disappeared from the cabin and unfroze the heroes as soon as the front door closed and she was gone.

Eve appeared in the alleyway beside Rumple's pawn shop, peering into the window of the back room to find it empty. She walked along the building until she could look into the front shop, where she could see only Belle at first as she talked to someone. Eve was about to move to the front door, when she saw who Belle was talking to – it wasn't Rumple. Suddenly, Belle was kissing this stranger and Eve frowned in confusion. Were Belle and Rumple no longer in love?

Eve would've stood there staring for a few minutes longer, but she sensed a presence across the street. She leaned against the building and edged closer to the road so that she could have a chance to see who was there. She could just about see Rumplestilskin standing in the shadow of a sheltered doorway. A few seconds passed before Rumple felt her stare and looked over in her direction, and they locked eyes.

Almost as soon as they locked eyes, Eve was blinded by a cloud of purple smoke and suddenly she was standing in the dark shadows of the forest with Rumple pressing his dagger against her throat as his steely grip tightened around her waist.

"What are you doing here?" He hissed in to her ear.

Eve's anger bubbled and she batted golden fists down on Rumple's grip. He let go of her instantly and Eve leaped forward, before spinning around with her hands up in the air in a sign of surrender.

"I don't want to fight you!" Eve warned with a gentle tone to her voice.

Rumple glared at her, but lowered his dagger and cut out the purple energy building in his free hand. "Where the hell have you been?"

"The old man – the sorcerer's apprentice?" Eve answered quickly but calmly. "After we teamed up to wipe Zelena's memories of me, he tricked me and entrapped me in the storybook with Isaac, the author."

"Wait…" Rumple raised a hand, interrupting Eve before she could continue. "You're telling me that the author is out? If you're free, then he has to be?"

Eve nodded slowly. "Yeah, but listen to me Rumple. David told me your plan and while I understand why you want to change your fate, I promise you that you can't trust Isaac. I've just spent the last year imprisoned with him, so you can trust me when I say that. Please rethink your plans…"

Rumple completely blanks Eve, only staring at the ground around him as plans swirled inside his mind. When he finally looked up at Eve, he gave her a dark smile before disappearing into a cloud of purple smoke. Eve thought about going after him, but in that moment she wanted to do something for herself after the year she had just had. She took several steps through the night before disappearing into a cloud of golden smoke.

That night, Eve arrived at her treehouse to find bouquets of flowers surrounding the ladder of her home in a ring. The freshest bouquet looked no more than a day old. The sight made Eve realise that everyone assumed she was dead; probably that Zelena killed her. She would've gone to find Archie and Ruby in that moment, but Eve was simply too exhausted to do anything but climb the ladder and fall into whatever bed remained in her home.

Eve was jogging across the road the following morning and knocking on the door of Archie's building. She knew it was early, but as soon as she had woken that morning; Eve showered and dressed with ten minutes and took off in a hurry to reunite with her friends. She was beginning to feel idiotic after the fourth try at knocking, when she heard the sound of a briefcase hit concrete behind her. She spun round to see Archie standing with his jaw hanging open and staring up at her where she stood on the steps.

"You- Eve – You're…Eve!?" Archie stammered, frozen on the spot.

Eve leaped down the steps and threw herself at the man, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding on tight until she felt Archie hugging her back.

"I thought you were dead" Archie's voice shook as he whispered into her ear.

"It's a long story, but I'm very much alive." Eve replied shakily, happy to have her friend back.

They pulled away from each other, beaming at one another with slightly watering eyes. Archie invited her up to his office and within five minutes of sitting down, Eve was given a cup of tea.

"So are you going to tell me what happened?!" Archie insisted as he took his seat on the other side of the coffee table.

Eve told the story, going into detail without holding back any information. She told Archie about the year she spent with Isaac, and that even though they got along in the first few months; Eve quickly learned that Isaac was a dangerous man who deserved to be imprisoned. Her time trapped in book had been rather hellish, but luckily she could keep away from Isaac's tricks and manipulation using her magic.

"Everyone has been working for months trying to find the author…" Archie shook his head in disbelief. "…And the sorcerer? I can't believe he trapped you in the book"

Eve simply shrugged and sipped the final dregs of her cup.

"Eve…" Archie's tone was suddenly full of sadness. "I'm so sorry we didn't rescue you…If I had known – we could have freed you-

"Stop" Eve held up a hand to interrupt her friend. "There was no way you could've known what really happened, so don't apologise. I'm just sorry that you all thought that I've been dead for the last year."

Eve was going to continue, but Archie's reaction made her falter. She glared at him waiting for an explanation.

"Here's the thing" He began sheepishly. "Not all of us thought you had died."

"Well then what?" Eve asked indignantly. "What else could anyone…"

She trailed off when she realised what the alternative assumption was. "People thought I ran away, didn't they?"

"I wasn't one of those people Eve, but yes, that was the more popular opinion. Simply because according to your behaviour in the past, it was the more likely assumption for most people in Storybrooke." Archie replied with a sympathetic tone in his voice.

"So all the flowers? What? They were from you and Ruby while everyone else thought I had just decided to abandon everyone during the whole Zelena situation."

Archie's eyes fell to the floor, and Eve felt her stomach flip. "Please tell me Ruby didn't believe that I had abandoned everyone?"

"It was Belle and I who had been leaving flowers at your treehouse, Eve. Ruby…Ruby made a decision to agree with everyone else."

"Belle left flowers?" Eve asked in confusion.

Archie shrugged. "Belle, like me, believed that Zelena killed you when you were attempting to save Rumplestilskin."

Eve ran her fingers through her hair, visualising an angry Ruby fighting with Archie as he tried to mourn for Eve. It must have been a tough year for the two's friendship, and it was all Eve's fault. Eventually, Eve stood to her feet.

"I'm so glad I got to see you, Archie" Eve smiled down at her friend. "But I have to go and let Ruby know what really happened, and let her know that I'm back."

Eve was walking towards the door when she heard Archie stand up. "Eve, we need to deal with the author."

Eve looked over at Archie, giving him a solemn nod. "Try get in contact with Snow and the others. Let them know that I'm out, and tell them to start figuring out a way to lock Isaac back into the book before he does any damage. I'll join you all as soon as I'm able."

With that, Eve left the office and reappeared in front of the diner, scaring the crap out of unexpecting pedestrians. She ignored the awkwardness and instead made her way up the steps and stepped through the front door of the diner. Barely any heads turned, all except for Leroy, who dropped his fork and pointed rudely in Eve's direction.

"Hey! Look who decided to show up!" He announced loudly, causing everyone in the diner to look up at Eve – including Ruby, who was in the middle of clearing a table.

"Eve?!" Ruby breathed, nearly dropping the plates balancing on her arm.

Ignoring the staring eyes surrounding her, Eve walked up to Ruby and quietly asked her to meet out the back of the diner, and then before waiting for an answer, walked away and out the back door.

Eve was beginning to think that Ruby had no intention of coming out the back to speak with her, and she felt the need to walk away just as Ruby pushed the door open and stormed down the step to stand several feet away from Eve. Her face was stone and her eyes were full of judgement as she folded her arms over her chest.

"So what brings you back?" Ruby asked through gritted teeth.

"I didn't run away, Ruby…" Eve began.

"Sure thing. It's not like you've done that before!"

Eve looked at her old friend with eyes full of hurt. "Ruby! I'm serious. I didn't abandon you!"

"Does Archie know you're back?" Ruby took a step towards her, her eyes blazing with rage suddenly. "He thought you were dead you know. He couldn't accept the truth – that you just abandoned us again. Instead he's spent the last year mourning you! Bringing flowers to your treehouse?!"

"I just came from Archie's" Eve explained calmly. "I've explained everything to him already, just like I want to do with you…"

"What excuse did you give him, huh?" Ruby took another step. "Did you play on his conscience? Tell him you were full of anxiety and just needed to escape without a word of warning?!"

"Ruby, you've got the completely wrong idea." Eve stated simply, fighting back tears at the sight of her friend looking at her with such hatred.

"Oh, of course I do! I'm sure you're completely innocent in all of this?!" Ruby replied sarcastically. "You know what? We were always here to support you! We put so much effort into making sure you knew that, and yet you still shut us out. You did the selfish thing, shut us out, and then left without any goodbye! How dare you! You're a terrible friend and quite frankly a bad person!"

"Hey, what's going on out here?" Granny appeared at the back door, along with four of the dwarves and several other familiar faces.

"She's trying to make excuses for herself, Granny." Ruby replied, still keeping her eyes on Eve. "But I'm not buying any of it."

"Don't you get it, sister?" Leroy stepped down and walked up to Ruby's side. "You're not welcome here no more. Got it?"

"Leroy's right" Granny confirmed, standing on Ruby's other side. "You've let us down too many times with these disappearances – after everything we've done for you? No one deserves the heartache. So just shove off and leave my granddaughter alone."

Eve stared at Ruby for a few moments as the woman breathed in and out forcefully, clearly full of rage that had been building up for the last year. Eve could've stood there longer, and tried to get Ruby to listen, but it was clear Ruby wasn't planning on giving her a chance to explain; and Eve had bigger issues to deal with.

"You know what?" Eve said finally, no longer speaking in a gentle tone. "When you're ready to know the truth, go find Archie – maybe you'll listen to him. But right now, I've got to go help solve a mess that is putting everyone in danger; including you. Goodbye Ruby."

And with that, Eve spun on her heel – and knowing that Ruby and everyone else would be staring after her, Eve walked through a golden cloud.

Eve appeared outside Rumple's shop and at the sight of Regina and Isaac, she charged through the front door just as the pair disappeared in a cloud of red smoke. She only saw Rumple when she heard him collapse to the floor.

"Rumple?!" Eve cried out, rushing to his side.

Rumple simply glared at her as he wheezed in and out – clearly struggling to breathe. Ignoring his resistance, Eve used her magic to be able to carry Rumple in her arms with ease before setting him down on the sofa in the back room.

"You…How dare you…" Rumple puffed, but Eve shook her head and pressed a finger to her lips.

"Yeah, yeah, the Dark One should never be carried like a baby. Understood." Eve spoke for him in a sarcastic tone, before her face completely softened. "What's wrong with you?"

Rumple opened his mouth to argue, but he hesitated and decided to calm down instead. "It's…It's my heart…" He breathed. "There's too much darkness…My heart can't stand it for much…much longer"

Eve's stomach dropped and her heart clenched. She had never seen Rumple so weak before. She had no idea what was happening with Isaac, but this was suddenly her priority.

"You were going to use Isaac to fix your heart, weren't you?" Eve asked finally, understanding the story without needing ask all the questions.

Rumple nodded weakly. "It's the only way…Re-writing my story…I can be a hero…No darkness…My heart would be saved…"

Eve nodded, understanding the situation completely. "It's his Pure magic, isn't it? It's the only magic that can help you?"

Rumple nodded, his eyes beginning to glare at her – he knew what was coming.

"You know I can help you too then" Eve said, her tone becoming firmer.

Rumple shook his head. "You're…not…not…"

"Oh Rumple, come on!" Eve cried out, interrupting him. "You know I'm the Pure One! You knew back then, and you know now! How else can you label me?!"

"It's…impossible…" Rumple shook his head again, his eyelids getting heavy.

"Nothing is impossible." Eve pointed out firmly. "Look, we don't have time to argue."

Without warning him, Eve placed both hands over Rumple's heart and closed her eyes. She focused a powerful healing spell into her palms and forced it into Rumple's chest and his entire torso glowed underneath his waistcoat and shirt. The glow only lasted for five seconds before Eve pulled away. Rumple looked immediately better, but not entirely recovered. He sat up and stared at her with a scathing look.

"I would heal you completely but first I need to deal with the author. He can't be trusted." Eve explained, sitting down beside him. "But I'll come back when I've taken care of that. Then I can save you."

Eve stared longingly at Rumple as he looks back at her. They were very close to each other, their faces only inches apart. Rumple was staring into her eyes intently, but not with the same love that Eve was staring at him with.

"Why do you care about me so much?" He asked, his voice stronger but still raspy. "You seem to want to do anything for me, and yet I don't know you."

Eve's heart tore for the hundredth time, reminded of Rumple's missing memories of when they were deeply in love. She didn't respond, and instead produced a smooth, oval pebble out of thin air. She folded her fingers over it and then concentrated some of her magic into it. She poured her memories of Rumple – all of them – into the pebble until the pebble began to glow with a bright golden light. The spell was over within a minute, but the pebble continued to glow. Eve then used her free hand to produce a miniature treasure chest with a velvet, purple cushion in the inside. She placed the glowing pebble into the chest and then closed it before passing it to Rumple.

"This answers that question." Eve explained, watching Rumple stare down at the box warily. "I don't know if I should've given that to you sooner – I don't even know if even the right time is now…"

"Then why give it to me?" Rumple sneered, not appreciating the emotion in Eve's voice in the slightest.

"Because…" Eve trailed off, realising the reason all of a sudden. "Because something tells me that this might be my last chance to do it."

"You think you're going to die taking down the author?" Rumple asked doubtfully, watching Eve stand to her feet.

"I don't know" She answered honestly. "I've never fought against other Pure Magic."

Rumple just stared up at her with the chest sitting on his lap, offering no advice or encouragement. "In case the author comes to his senses and returns to me, you should know that I have every intention to follow my original plan."

Eve smiled sadly, even chuckling. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Rumple."

And with that, Eve gave him one last smile before disappearing behind the curtain and exiting the shop.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: This is a long one guys! Or at least a lot happens in a short amount of time...**

After several attempts to find Isaac and Regina, Eve eventually found the pair sitting in Regina's vault in intense conversation. The sight of Eve appearing in a cloud of golden smoke made Regina take a step forward with hands blazing with fire.

"Regina" Eve rose her hands in surrender. "I'm not here to hurt you."

"You!" Regina barked. "Since when can you do magic?! How did you even get into my vault that way?"

"Regina, she's here to stop our plan. Get rid of her before she succeeds!" Isaac interjected, scampering behind Regina in hiding.

"Oh shut up Isaac!" Eve hissed. "Listen Regina, you can't trust him. I don't know what he's promised you, but trust me when I say that this is the only man I've ever come across who's even more selfish than Rumplestilskin. He can't be trusted, because whatever plans you have together; I promise you that he's looking out for himself and has every intention to screw you over!"

"I can't trust him can I?" Regina sneered, taking a step forward. "That's pretty big talk from the nobody who turned out to be a sorceress – and a pretty powerful one at that! It's the only way to explain how you got into my vault!"

"Regina, I was trapped in the book with Isaac for the last year." Eve calmly explained. "The sorcerer's apprentice put me there because he thought I, as the Pure One, would be a danger to the story – whatever that means."

"The Pure One?" Regina asked doubtfully. "You think you're the Pure One? The Pure One is just a myth, it doesn't exist."

"Regina, get rid of her. She's wasting our precious time!" Isaac egged on behind Regina.

"With pleasure" Regina muttered, her hands igniting again with flame.

"Regina, I really don't want to hurt you" Eve warned.

Regina let out a dark laugh. "Oh, sweetie! Don't flatter yourself!"

Regina was about to fling a stream of fire, but before she could; Eve lifted the Evil Queen off her feet and then slammed her into a wall. The woman slumped to the ground, and didn't get up.

Isaac stared at Regina's unconscious body for several moments as Eve simple glared at the man. When their eyes met, Isaac simply smiled and took out his pen and paper. He grinned as smoke surrounded him, but at the last second Eve leaped forward and hitched a ride on his teleportation spell.

The pair crashed to the tarmac road with a painful thud and Eve registered that they had landed at the crossroads underneath the clock tower, where Snow, Emma, Ruby and the others all stood staring. Eve was on her feet within seconds, and Isaac slowly rolled to his feet unimpressed with the landing.

"I can't let you hurt these people for your own benefit, Isaac!" Eve warned, her hands beginning to glow with golden light.

Isaac readied his pen and paper, but Eve rose both hands into the sky and within seconds created a dome around the entire crossroads. If luck was on her side, Eve's magic would prevent Isaac from writing his way out of the dome – at least for a certain amount of time anyway. Unfortunately, Eve couldn't keep everyone out of the dome and as well as her and Isaac trapped; so was Ruby, Snow and Leroy.

Muffled cries of outrage and panic erupted from the other side of the dome, and Eve could see Archie standing amongst the front of the crowd calling her name. Snow and Leroy were standing together holding hands, but Ruby shrugged away their hold and took a step forward.

"Eve…" Ruby began.

Eve waited for Ruby to continue, but got an awful shock when she saw her friend collapse to the ground reaching for her neck as she began choking. Snow cried out her name and both her and Leroy rushed to her side; completely helpless. Eve's head snapped in the direction of Isaac and she saw him finishing a sentence on his paper.

"The red-hooded wolf girl, Ruby, stops breathing as she watches her friend betray her trust." Leroy read aloud with a pride to his voice.

The triumphant grin on his face sparked a rage in Eve that she hadn't felt in a very long time. With all of her might, Eve thrusted her hands forward and a beam of golden energy charged towards Isaac. Isaac was instantly sent flying backwards until he hit the edge of the dome, but he wasn't Eve's target. Instead, she was concentrating all of her energy on the pen that Isaac had dropped to the ground.

"You're crazy!" Isaac bellowed, as he struggled to his feet. "You won't survive that! Pure magic can't destroy itself!"

Eve's eyes shifted to gaze down at Ruby as she continued clutching at her throat, unable to breathe.

"You're right!" Eve yelled, the energy of the magic beginning to fill the dome with a deafening buzz. "But unlike the neutrality of the pen's pure magic, I'm a person!"

With a grunt of effort, Eve increased the amount of magic she was pouring into her attack on the pen. She felt beads of sweat beginning to pour down her face.

"I may be the Pure One! But I'm also a person! The pen can't defend itself with human experiences like hatred, or vengeance, or love! But I…I CAN!"

With a scream, Eve poured every bit of energy she had left and there was suddenly a bright light filling up the dome and blinding Eve and everyone else. A thunderous noise filled her ears and Eve was suddenly off her feet before quickly skidding across the ground. Her ears rang with white noise and it took an age for her vision to finally return.

Eventually, Eve was staring up at the sky without a dome blocking her view. Her body ached and her magic was running through her veins in weak sparks as opposed to the typically strong current of energy.

Archie suddenly appeared in her vision, and Eve saw his lips moving. She heard herself ask him to help her to her feet and so she was soon on her feet with one arm around Archie and the other around someone with long blonde hair…It must have been Emma Swan.

The scene before Eve was busy. Everyone who had been watching the whole thing unfold was now staring at Eve with a mixture of fear and appreciation. In the spot where Eve had last seen the pen was now a blackened tarmac that looked as though a bomb had just gone off in its spot. Ruby was on her feet and rushing over to Eve. Isaac was nowhere in sight.

"Isaac? Where's Isaac?" Eve mumbled tiredly.

"He burned up along with the pen." Emma explained, just before Ruby rushed forward and threw her arms around Eve.

"Eve!" Ruby cried, her voice raspy from the air deprivation. "You just saved me!"

"From the looks of it, you just saved this whole town." Emma added, still holding onto Eve as Ruby practically strangled her in a hug.

"I'm glad you're safe Ruby" Eve said slowly, unable to hug Ruby back.

Ruby pulled away with tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you Eve. I should've given you the chance to explain everything…But I was so horrible…You didn't deserve it."

Eve slowly shook her head. "No, I deserved it. I deserved worse really. I still do. I've been able to do magic this whole time, but I never helped any of you in the countless times when help would've solved problems and…and even saved lives."

Emma stared at the ground, obviously thinking of Neal. Eve suddenly remembered something important, and her head turned to Archie who was the main support for Eve's ability to stand.

"Archie, I need you to take me to Rumple. He's in trouble, and I can help him." Eve mumbled.

"How can you help him, Eve?" Archie asked in shock. "You can't even stand by yourself, let alone help him with his dark heart."

"Archie, just bring me to him. Please" Eve begged.

It took a gruelling three minutes to get to Rumple's shop instead of the usual minute walk, but Eve was practically dead weight as she was carried between Archie and Ruby. Eve told them that Rumple would be in the back room, but when they entered the shop, Rumple was slumped on the floor; half-sitting upright against a glass cabinet. He looked minutes away from death, despite Eve's remedy an hour earlier.

"What the bloody hell are you all doing here?" Rumple gasped, glaring up at the three of them with dissatisfaction as more people filed into the shop behind them.

Eve ordered Ruby and Archie to set her down beside Rumple, who was watching her with wary eyes.

"You survived the war with the author then?" He noted scathingly.

"Didn't even break a sweat" Eve joked with a shaky breath.

"I didn't use your stone, you know." Rumple sneered, but he was too weak to add much venom to his voice.

"I know" Eve huffed, straightening herself so that she was mostly turned in Rumple's direction.

"You look awful, dearie." Rumple stated, looking her up and down.

"You can't talk" Eve breathed, giving him a weak smile. "Now stop interrupting me for a second while we solve your little problem."

"Eve…"

Eve looked around and remembered that the shop was full of faces looking down at her and Rumple.

"Whatever you're planning to do, I don't think you'll survive it." It was Regina, who had a bruise on one side of her head.

"I agree with Regina." Emma stepped forward. "The amount of magic you just used to defeat the author…That would've been enough to kill me – and Regina combined."

"What you're about to do is dangerous" Snow spoke up. "I know you want to right your wrongs but dying isn't the right thing to do here."

"None of you know for sure that I'll die." Eve explained, purposefully sounding stronger in her voice.

"Dying for me won't make up for everything you know"

Eve turned back to look at Rumple, who was glaring at her through weak eyes.

"The power that you have?" Rumple continued, despite his poor condition. "You could've helped so many times. You may as well have been every villain that we have faced in this town. And as for saving me from Zelena? You could've done better than that. You could've saved my son."

Eve's eyes filled with tears as Rumple stared back at her, but suddenly, Rumple's eyes began to roll and his head slumped forward as he passed out.

"No…" Eve leaned forward with outstretched hands.

"Eve, don't!" Archie cried, but it was too late.

The moment Eve's hands were on Rumple's chest, she poured every last bit of magic remaining in her system into Rumple's heart. People were shouting at her to stop, but the sight of Rumple's eyes fluttering open was enough to spur Eve to continue until she got to a point where she was sure that she couldn't stop even if she wanted to. It was as though her hands were made of metal and Rumple's chest was magnet. She felt the magic dissolved from her veins as her heart beat slowed and her lungs began to exhale the final bits of air from her body. The voices around became muffled and her vision began to fade on the edges with only Rumple's waking face in focus, until eventually even he became blurred and then, all at once; everything went black.

Eve woke up lying down on her side. The grass beneath her was dying and brown, with a faint red tint to the blades. She looked beyond the ground surrounding her and eventually realised she was lying in the middle of a cemetery. Eve knew she had died. It wasn't the plan, but she knew it was a possibility. She didn't even feel like crying, because her misery was too strong for something so therapeutic as tears.

Rising to her feet, Eve dusted herself down and gauged her surroundings. The cemetery was vast, and she couldn't see an end in any direction. The idea to walk in any one direction occurred to her, but Eve didn't have the patience. Instead she closed her eyes, breathed in deeply, and then bent her knees before kicking off the ground. When she didn't feel the wind rushing through her hair, she opened her eyes and frowned in confusion to find herself still standing on solid ground.

Keen to suss out the issue of her magic immediately, Eve stretched out her arms and stared intently at her palms. She concentrated on her palms, visualising a ball of fire bursting alight in each but nothing happened after over a minute of intense concentration. She dropped her hands down to her sides and thought for a moment, and the silence made her realise that her heart wasn't beating anymore. With that realisation, she willed her heart to start beating – not even sure how she managed to do it. Once her heart was pumping blood and magic through her veins again, Eve attempted a second time to ignite balls of fire in her hand. She was immediately successful.

Slightly smug with herself, Eve turned her attention back to her original plan to find a way out of the cemetery. She looked up at the sky and repeated her movements, and within moments she was soaring through the air. At higher heights, Eve could see what appeared to be the ruins of Storybrooke to the West, tinged by the red sky above. Instead of letting herself descend completely, Eve used her knowledge of elemental magic and manipulated the wind in order to allow her to glide through the air at a height high-enough to have an idea of which direction to head. Within minutes, she reached the edge of the cemetery where she finally landed back to Earth and continued in a walk towards the outskirts of the town.

Eve spent the next several hours wandering through her strange, new surroundings. From what she could see, this place was the sadder, decaying version of Storybrooke – she figured it was Storybrooke in her mind, as it was the place where she died, but that was only a theory. The only concrete facts she had were that she had most definitely died and was still dead, but that she had her magic to protect her from whatever situation she was in now.

The puzzling part of the whole experience was that Eve didn't feel panic. She wasn't scared and the lack of explanations didn't trouble her. Instead Eve walked through the alternate Storybrooke with a sense of dread swirling in her stomach. Her final moments of life had been spent listening to the words she was most frighten to hear, and they came from the mouth of the person she loved most. The only reason she had the will to investigate her surroundings was knowing that she had most definitely saved Rumple's life. Plus, she was pretty curious to see if she was in any particular danger in her current situation – not worried; just curious.

The people she passed on the streets looked equally as miserable as she did, but she recognised none of them. It seemed as though the town was a dead version of Storybrooke, and the people occupying it must have been – like Eve – very dead. No one interacted with her, or even gave much time to looking in her general direction and so Eve didn't stop and ask people questions.

Eventually, Eve found herself walking into the Rabbit Hole bar. She summoned a wad of money into the back pocket of her black jeans and sat down on a stool at the bar. The bartender was relatively handsome with dark hair, broad shoulders, and surprisingly kind eyes that crinkled in the corners when he gave Eve a welcoming smile.

"What can I get you?" He asked, his accent much like Emma Swan's man; Killian.

"Double vodka, please." Eve rasped, realising that they were her first words as a dead woman.

"Sure thing."

Eve watched the man get to work and within a minute, he slid a large shot glass full of clear liquid towards her. Eve rooted in the back pocket of her jeans and produced a ten dollar bill, and the bartender froze.

"Oh…" He noted, giving Eve a knowing look, and then a smile. "You're new here then."

"Money isn't the currency here?" Eve asked confidently, although on the inside she felt incredibly dumb.

The bartender shook his head. "Favours are, usually. Personal belongings…"

"The barter system, really?" She asked doubtfully.

He smiled at her reaction. "Unfortunately so. It's the only currency worth anything down here."

"Okay…Well what do you need?" Eve asked, leaning forward slightly over the bar.

The bartender shrugged. "What do you have?"

"I asked first." Eve stated bluntly.

The bartender folded his arms and thought deeply. "For now…Just your name."

"My name?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes."

"I'm Eve Claro."

"That's a nice name" He gave her a smile, watching her gulp down the vodka in one.

"You said 'down here' earlier…" Eve began. "If this is down, what is up?"

"Up is the land of the living…" He answered.

"So…Is this what you would call Hell then?" Eve asked, furrowing her brow.

"Hell?"

Eve turned her head to follow the new voice. There was a group of ragged-looking men entering the bar, with one man clearly leading the way in and seemed to be the owner of the voice.

"You must be a newbie, sweet cheeks."

The man already sounded drunk, and Eve didn't appreciate the name-calling so she chose to look back at the bartender and ignore the man completely. She heard him snigger, and heard him approach her before she could smell his stench invade her personal space.

"Leave her alone" The bartender warned, placing both his hands on the bar in balls of fists.

The man turned to the bartender and grinned – the group of men behind him chuckling. "Liam Jones."

Eve's head snapped up to study the bartender's face. He must have been Cillian's brother…Or father, if he died at a young age.

"Do you here this, men?" The man growled at his friends. "Liam Jones, of all people, thinks he can tell me what to do. What should I do, I wonder?"

Eve heard a variation of threats and encouragements of violence from the group, all the while studying Liam's face. He looked angry, but there was a hint of guilt in his eyes for some reason.

"I agree!" The man declared.

He started walking around to Eve's other side, where there was a small hinged door that led to the inside part of the bar where Liam was starting to back away. The man was about to step through when Eve's arm jutted out and hit the man's chest like a barrier.

"Listen here, sweetheart" The man stepped to his side and was now only inches from Eve's face. His voice was menacing. "You just stay out of my business, because believe me honey; you don't want to get involved with me and my men."

Eve stepped off the stool and stood on her feet, keeping eye contact with the man the entire time. "I would recommend leaving now. You're threatening a bartender in his own bar, and on top of that, your nicknames are starting to piss me off."

The man opened his mouth to say something else, but something behind Eve caused the man to shut up and step away from Eve; his head bowed slightly in sign of respect.

"What seems to be the trouble here then?"

Eve looked over her shoulder and saw David standing in front of her. Her eyes went wide and her jaw slacked slightly. She turned around to completely face him, and stared up and down before realising that it couldn't be David. She had heard of his twin, James, who apparently had been horrible.

"This lady just got into town" The man explained with a sneer. "Thinks she can get involved in other people's business and cause trouble."

James looked down at Eve with a cocky smirk that made her want to slap him in the face. "Well that's just unacceptable!"

"They were the ones causing the trouble" Eve replied bluntly, folding her arms.

"Is that right?" James said sarcastically, and then bent his knees slightly to be at eye level with Eve. "You see, little miss – these fellows here are a part of Mr. Jones' punishment. It's the Lord Hades' orders, and getting in the way of the Lord's orders? Well…that has consequences."

"Lord Hades?" Eve glared up at James, unfazed by the threat.

"That's right. He's the boss in this town, and I'm his deputy – the sheriff of this town. And I'm afraid you're going to have to come with me."

James went to take hold of Eve's arm, but she caught his wrist before he could touch her. James looked outraged, while the rest of the audience filled the air with shock and tension.

"That was a big mistake" James warned with a dark smile.

He twisted his way out of Eve's grip and swung his other arm with an open palm – probably having the intentions of slapping Eve across the face. Eve easily ducked out of harm's way before responding with a palm full of energy that hit James square in the chest and sent him skidding across the floorboards until he hit the wooden framing of the front door.

"She can do magic?!"

Eve looked around and saw all of the raggedy men back away from her with a hint of fear in their eyes. Even Liam took a few steps back, looking surprised. James, however, looked angry more than anything else as he straightened up and coughed.

"You'll regret doing that, just you wait." James hissed angrily, before exiting the bar with the group of men following closely behind them.

Unfazed, Eve sat back in her original stool and sighed deeply before ordering another double vodka. She only looked up when Liam didn't reply to her order. The man was still standing at what he thought was a safe distance, and his eyes were wide as he stared.

"You can use your magic?" He asked in a stammer.

"Em…Yeah?" Eve replied with a frown. "I helped you out?"

"And I'm grateful, thank you – please don't mistake my question for ungratefulness. It's just…None of the sorcerers are able to do magic down here." Liam explained, coming to his senses and began to pour Eve's drink.

"How come?" Eve asked, taking the shot glass from Liam.

"It's Lord Hades' wish." Liam stated.

"Right…" She replied. "And what? He's the boss of this place?"

"He's the Lord of the Underworld, yes. The god of death." Liam explained, clearly astonished by Eve's lack of concern.

"The Underworld, huh? That's what this place is called?"

"Yes…It's the place for souls who have unfinished business."

"Unfinished business…" Eve repeated thoughtfully. "I see."

And with that, Eve knocked back the vodka. "I'm assuming that one is a freebie considering what I just did for you."

"Of course…" Liam replied with a frown. "Listen…You don't realise what you've done. James will report you to Lord Hades…They'll come after you."

"Do you think it'll be today?" Eve asked calmly.

"Most-likely, James is speaking with the Lord right now…"

"Oh right…" Eve replied. "In that case, I'll have one more round before they come and fetch me."

Liam stared at her, unmoving.

"What?" Eve asked, looking up at him with a slight smile.

"You're not worried?!"

She shrugged. "Ever since I died, I haven't felt worry or panic or fear. Is that not a part of the whole being dead thing?"

Liam shook his head slowly, still staring.

"Huh, well then maybe I'm just a bit crazy in the afterlife." Eve summarised. "Now can I please have that drink?"

With a small frown, Liam poured her another drink and passed it to her. He pretended to wipe down the bar for a few minutes, while Eve watched him instead of paying attention to her drink.

"Did you know those men? When you were alive?" Eve asked eventually.

Liam didn't look up from his task. "Yes I did."

"I couldn't help noticing you looked a bit…guilty in their company." Eve stated, looking down at her shot glass.

Liam stopped and looked up at her. "You have a keen eye."

She shrugged. "Responsible for their deaths?"

Liam looked slightly horrified. "How could you possibly know that?"

"I know that guilt." Eve gave him a sad smile. "I have that guilt."

"I'm sorry you have to bear it." Liam replied in a tight voice.

Eve opened her mouth to play off his politeness, but she was interrupted by the sound of footsteps entering the bar's front door.

She turned and saw the silhouette of man standing in the door way with his hands resting inside of his black coat pocket. Behind him, she saw James and the leading ragged man. She looked back at her drink, and then at Liam, before looking back at her drink and then knocking it back. When she placed her glass neatly back down on the bar, the three men entered the bar. The unknown man walked forward and sat in the stool beside her. James and the ragged man stood to the side awkwardly, clearly expecting something more dramatic.

"I'll take a brandy, Mr. Jones." His voice was overly pleasant, like a snake charming its food before devouring it.

Liam didn't hesitate and got the man's drink within seconds, as Eve continued watching just Liam; ignoring the man who she was certain was this Lord Hades.

"I hear a certain newbie has caused a spot of trouble in my town." The man commented while breathing in the scent of his brandy.

Eve glanced at him, noticing that he was staring straight ahead like she had been. He had short blonde hair that was slightly spiked at the top of his head. He had a distinct jawline, and frown lines framing his thin, smirking lips. His hooded eyes were a piercing blue with smiling lines at the corners. He wore a suit underneath the black overcoat, and had a deep blue handkerchief neatly jutting out of the breast pocket of his coat. He was handsome, in a strange and unsettling way.

"You don't say?" Eve replied endearingly calm. "I hadn't heard…"

"Apparently the newbie attacked my pet sheriff" He mused, taking a sip of the brandy. "Quite the serious offence."

"I see…" Eve nodded, staring straight ahead. "I'm sure this sheriff went straight to his boss and tattled rather than staying to fight his own battles."

The remark resulted in a growl erupting from James in the background, but a chuckle from the man sitting in the seat beside Eve.

"You have a fair point" He chimed with a laugh. "But I'm afraid that's not the whole story."

The man then turned in his seat to face Eve, so she slowly turned her head to look at him after a few moments dragged by.

"You see, word on the street is that this new arrival used magic to attack my poor little pet." He explained with bright eyes and a smile, as if they were two old friends gossiping.

Eve didn't say anything and just gave the man the smallest of smiles.

"Magic doesn't usually work around here without my permission, did you know that?"

Eve shook her head slowly, keeping eye contact with him the entire time with the calmest of expressions on her face.

"So I suppose knowing that, you could understand why my poor pet sheriff ran away to tell his boss what happened – don't you agree?"

"I think any good sheriff would have stood his ground. No man with authority should run from a battle, he has a responsibility to fight his own battles as a way of example for the people he oversees." Eve answered coyly, glancing over at James who was turning a shade of bright red.

The man smiled at her again, shaking his head and then bursting out into a fit of laughter. "Oh James, I'm jealous you found this fine woman first! She's a delight!"

James' face fell, as did the ragged man beside him – but neither protested and instead remained silent. Eve could feel Liam standing frozen behind the bar; too tense to move a muscle.

"Would you care for a tour of my town?" He asked suddenly.

Eve was caught-off guard, and she blinked at him. "I'm sorry?"

"I understand that you're a new arrival" He explained earnestly. "Who better to show you around than the god who's running it?"

He slid off the stool and stood to his feet before giving Eve a small bow. "The name is Hades. Lord of the Underworld, at your service."

Eve whirled in her stool to fully face Hades before she stood to her feet calmly, and then she curtsied. "Eve."

To her surprise, the god took her hand in his and kissed it. "I can already tell that you and I will get along just fine."

 **Author's Note: So this is a pretty mad chapter, and I'm sorry if it's too rushed but I love the Underbrooke storyline so much that I had to get to it as quickly as I could! I'm in the middle of writing the next chunk of chapters, but it'll be a while before a post a lot of chapters in a short amount of time. I'm starting my second semester next week so this story will act as procrastination more so than a dedicated project. I hope you can be understanding! Thanks again for all the love the story has received so far!**


	22. Chapter 22

Eve knew time had passed, but she never cared to know exactly how much. Her time in the Underworld had taken a turn that she had never expected.

"What did you dream about, my dear?"

Eve rolled over in the bed to face Hades, who lay on his side leaning his head against his hand. She gave him a small smile, before he leaned in and kissed her deeply.

"You need me?" She asked quietly when he finally pulled away.

Since her time with Hades became a much more permanent thing, Eve was only woken for one of two things. As the Pure One, Hades called on Eve to improve things in his kingdom whenever he needed or wanted it. In exchange for her loyalty, Hades gave her the gift of sleep. Sleep was a privilege of the living, and the dead were never to rest. The restlessness depressed Eve immensely, and so Hades fixed that problem with the ability to dream as an added bonus. It was the only thing that Eve wanted, as it was the only way she could deal with her guilt.

"Oh, I need you desperately." Hades replied in a growl, leaning into her again.

Eve chuckled as Hades buried his face into her neck, kissing her skin deeply and full of lust.

"Are you ever going to tell me what you dream about, my darling?" Hades asked, brushing Eve's hair with his fingers as she rested against him in the bed.

"You'd get bored, I promise." Eve softly replied.

"Hmm…I doubt that, for some reason." He mused. "I'll get a confession out of you one-

Hades suddenly stopped talking, and Eve felt his body stiffen. She sat up quickly and turned to see him wearing a confused expression.

"What's happened?" She asked, watching him sit up and curl his hands into fists.

"Uninvited visitors." Hades frowned for a moment, and then suddenly grinned. It was slightly sadistic.

"You want me to come along?" Eve suggested as Hades slipped out of the bed and snapped his fingers, suddenly wearing a tailored suit.

"It's been a while since you wanted to step outside." Hades observed as he smoothed over his jacket while standing in front of a full-length mirror.

"This might be the most exciting thing to happen around here in a while" Eve replied matter-of-factly. "I'd rather not sleep through it, if you don't have a problem with it."

Hades turned to face her, and clicked his fingers again. Eve was suddenly dressed in black jeans and a lacy grey top. He stuck out his elbow, and gave her a smile.

"By all means, come along my darling."

…

"False alarm" Hades skidded to a halt, spinning around and blocking Eve's sight as they came to the edge of the cemetery.

"What?" Eve frowned in confusion.

"It happens sometimes." Hades shrugged, a little too coolly. "I'll explain it to you later, but right now I need to go and speak with the sheriff."

"I'm more than happy to miss out on that" Eve scoffed.

"Shocking" Hades grinned.

…..

Eve was running through the Enchanted Forest, dodging bullets of blue light as she wove through the trees. She watched a blue bullet graze her right arm and she cursed in pain, but continued the escape. Eventually, she came to the clearing where the elderly woman in rags waited for her with their hands all glowing blue. Eve preparing for the fight she had already fought dozens of times in her dreams, but suddenly, all the witches fell to the ground in unison. She watched in surprise as they dissolved into the ground, leaving her alone in the field.

"You need to wake yourself up. You don't have time for this."

Eve whirled around to see Rumplestilskin standing in front of her, in his true Dark appearance.

"You're not supposed to be here yet." Eve pointed out, walking towards him.

"WAKE UP EVE!"

….

Without any warning, Eve's eyes flew open and she sat up straight in the bed. She was short of breath, and panicked. Confused by how she managed to wake herself up, she waited for her breathing to calm down until she eventually heard sounds coming from the throne room.

Getting out of bed and twirling into her day clothes, she walked towards the throne room with the feeling that she wasn't alone in the underground palace. Normally she wouldn't be so hostile, but her dream must have meant that something was down in the palace, and it wasn't Hades.

Magic poured from her core, seeping onto her skin so that she could be invisible to any potential trespassers. She suspected one of the "uninvited visitors" that Hades badly lied about was looking for him, and they would've had to have been pretty powerful to invade Hades' palace so quickly. Eve was standing near to the edge of the centre grounding, by the river of souls when she felt a cloud of dust fall on her. She watched her arms raise, which shouldn't have been possible due to her spell.

"What the- Uncalled for!" Eve whined in anger and shock.

"Who is that?" The unmistakable voice replied, causing a shiver to run along Eve's spine.

Slowly, Eve turned around – unshrouding herself as she looked around to see Rumplestilskin standing in front of her, his eyes widening in surprise.

"You?" They said in unison – Rumple's reaction was an accusation; Eve's nothing but a choked-out sound.

Eve's mind whirled at 100 miles an hour, and when a thought entered her head; her hands flew to her face in horror. "You're dead?!"

"What?" Rumple hissed. "No!"

"Oh thank the gods!" She sighed in relief, suddenly feeling like crying.

"What the hell are you doing in Hades' palace?" Rumple took a step forward, pointing a long finger at her with a glare in his eyes.

Eve didn't move from her spot unlike anyone else had they been subjected to such behaviour from the Dark One. "I could ask you the same thing. If you're not dead, then how are you even in the Underworld? Hades said…"

Eve trailed off once her train of thought took a different direction. Hades had lied to her. There wasn't a false alarm. There had been a break into the Underworld without his permission. And he had said trespassers plural.

"Who came down with you?" Eve asked in a worried tone, frowning up at him as he began gauging his surroundings.

"The Charmings, Miss Swan, Regina…" Rumple stopped himself, shaking his head in frustration. "You didn't answer me! What are you doing in Hades' palace? And outside of a cage no less!"

"A cage?!" Eve exclaimed. "I'm not his prisoner!"

Rumple's face changed, his expression calming without the glare leaving his eyes. It was unsettling. Eve recognised the look. Rumple's mind was whirring with all sorts of ideas and tactics.

"So is this your gig? Hiding away in the Underworld with the lord of the dead?" He sneered with a sadistic smile on his face.

"I'm not hiding, Rumple" Eve frowned in confusion and anger. "I died!" The flames of the torches in the room grew into startling sizes as her anger burned. "I died saving YOU!"

"It is NOT a gentleman's way to agitate a lady's temper!" A new voice echoed through the room, snapping Eve and Rumple's concentration on one another – a second after Eve spotted Rumple's lips move, as if he was about to correct her about the comment she had just made.

"Rumplestilskin, it's an honour to see you once again!" Hades appeared behind Eve, reaching over and offering a handshake to Rumple that wasn't accepted.

"Again…?" Eve murmured under her breath, looking between the two of them in confusion. Then she remembered that Rumple had died once – and he must have come to the Underworld too.

"Eve, m'lady, have you heard of Rumplestilskin before?" Hades turned to face Eve with a charming smile.

Eve looked from Hades to Rumple, who shot her a look of equal confusion. Hades noticed it and his smile grew wider.

"Oh so you DO know each other! I wasn't certain, but I DID feel a sense of history between you both. Interesting." Hades mused at Eve, who fought hard not to blush.

Hades spun around, facing Rumple. "You work fast, Dark One! I don't think you've been here for even five minutes and yet you've already broken through all the barriers to my cosy home here!"

"Eve, darling?" Hades sang, without turning to face her. "Why do you go and rest for a little bit. We'll catch up later."

Eve was suddenly standing in the bed chamber. She hadn't had a second to stop Hades from transporting her without her permission. Since Hades hadn't put her under the sleeping spell, she walked back towards the throne room in complete silence. She had to at least eavesdrop on Rumple and Hades' conversation.

"But Miss Swan and the others…" Rumple said, sounding on edge as Eve listened in just outside of the large throne room. "They'll know what I did and they'll turn against me"

"Get rid of the boat, Dark One" Hades ordered coolly. "I'm sure you'll find a way to make it work for you."

Eve heard a whooshing sound and realised that one, or both of them had left the throne room. She took a moment to collect herself before stepping into the room. Hades was already staring in her direction, waiting for her.

"Don't do that again." Eve said, glaring over at him as she walked into the room. "I'm not a damsel you can throw away when you're dealing with business."

"You're right. You're no damsel" Hades replied, not looking one bit sorry. "I don't know why I bothered anyway considering you were eavesdropping."

"You lied to me earlier. You told me it had been a false alarm – no one had trespassed in the Underworld." She was in arms' length of Hades now.

"That was only because I was keen to get them out of this place, Eve." He explained, placing a hand on her shoulder trying to reassure her. "I assumed I'd succeed in getting them out within the day so I didn't think there was a point in getting you involved. But I was wrong. Those…heroes are still here."

"How long have they been here, Hades?" Eve's eyes narrowed.

"Four…Five days. I can't quite recall." He admitted, and Eve shrugged his hand off her shoulder.

"You've had me asleep all that time?! While my old friends have been running around the Underworld?! Hades, that's not okay!" Eve's yelling caused the fire torches in the room to flare suddenly.

"I genuinely thought they'd be gone by now" Hades replied, a hand on his heart. "I knew seeing them here would hurt you – confuse you. I was only looking out for you."

"I'm not an idiot, Hades." Eve hissed. "You were afraid I'd help them with whatever mission they're on."

"Eve, I-

"And you know what?!" Eve yelled, interrupting him. "I wouldn't have helped them! I would've just made sure they got out of the Underworld as quickly and safely as possible. You know why? Because I understand the balance of things around here. I'm practical like that. Just because I allow you to see my vulnerable side, it does NOT permit you to treat me like some fragile damsel who will go along with everything you do as if I don't have a mind of my own!"

And with that, Eve twirled away and began marching away. She didn't have to look back to know that Hades' hair was ablaze with blue fire now as he seethed in anger.

"And where do you think you're going?" Hades yelled after her.

"Upstairs!" She called back. "I can't look at you right now!"

And with that, Eve shrouded herself in golden smoke.


	23. Chapter 23

Eve marched into the diner, ignoring everyone around her as she approached the counter where the blind witch stood. The entire atmosphere in the diner changed as soon as Eve had entered the diner. She was feared in the Underworld by now – and only made an appearance in town when Hades asked her to take care of the business that James couldn't.

"U-Usual order, dear girl?" The blind witch asked nervously.

"Just a coffee to go, thanks" Eve ordered, an edge in her voice.

She watched the blind witch nod to her waitress, who rushed through the back door into the kitchen to prepare the coffee.

"Have you seen them yet?" Eve asked bitterly. "The visitors?"

"Poor choice of words for a blind woman, dear – but yes. They've been in here a few times already." The witch replied.

The waitress reappeared with a coffee, placing it in front of Eve with trembling hands.

"Do you know where they would be now?" Eve asked, nodding to the waitress in thanks.

"I hear they've set up a home for themselves in the Charmings' apartment. Your best chance is there, dear."

"Thanks." Eve replied, sliding off the stool and heading out the door without any delay.

Within minutes, Eve had downed her coffee and was standing outside the front door of Snow and David's apartment. She heard the voices inside, and proceeded to knock on the door. After several moments of hushed whispers, the door was opened by Rumple who was holding a fireball in his hand. When he saw Eve, the fire ball didn't disappear.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He sneered, looking her up and down.

"Who is it, Gold?" Eve could hear Emma Swan ask.

In response, Rumple widened the door for everyone to see Eve standing in the doorway. Killian, Emma, Snow, David, Henry, Regina and Robin all stood staring at her. There was a mixture of reactions. The fireball in Rumple's hand dissolved, but he continued to glare at her as she stood there looking around the room anxiously. It was surreal to see the heroes from her past stand in front of her again.

"Eve!" Snow White was the first to speak as she rushed forward to give Eve a big hug. "Come in! Come in! We didn't realise you were down here!"

"Hi Snow" Eve greeted her, hugging her back before she stepped into the apartment.

"It's good to see you, Eve." David greeted her with a pat on the shoulder.

"It's been a long time" Emma gave her a stiff smile and a nod.

"What are you all doing down here?" Eve asked, looking around at them all – it was a shame to see Henry in the room, he was too young to be subjected to whatever Hades had planned for all of them.

"They came to save me from Hades' dungeons." Killian answered, putting his arm around Emma.

Eve's stomach flipped. "What? What do you mean?"

"Oh, don't play dumb!" Rumple hissed, stepping into her space with a threating finger pointed at her. "Hades probably asked you to torture him, didn't he?"

"Gold, what are you talking about?" Regina spoke up, taking a step forward.

Rumple stepped away from Eve, still pointing a finger at her. "This so-called friend of you all has been shacked up with Hades all along! Sleeping in his bed chamber!"

"What…?" Emma stepped forward at Eve in horror. "You knew that Hook was in Hades' dungeon? Being tortured?"

Eve looked around the room with a look of desperation. "I swear to you all…I didn't know Hook was down here. I had no idea he was here, let alone in Hades' dungeons!"

"Why bother lying to them now?" Rumple piped up, eyes blazing. "They've rescued him now anyway…Unless you're here to deliver him back to Hades…"

Eve watched everyone tense, with Emma suddenly standing directly in front of Hook. Henry moved to her side, guarding the pirate with her.

"What?! No!" Eve's voice shook. "I only just found out that you were all down here! I was in the cemetery – the day you arrived. Hades…He lied to me. He told me it was a false alarm; that no one had trespassed the Underworld. Then he put me to sleep. When I woke up, I saw…"

Rumple and Eve's eyes locked for a moment and an exchange was shared. Whatever happened between Rumple and Hades today in the throne room; it was a secret to the rest of them.

"I saw Hades talking to some of his servants. He mentioned your names, and when I confronted him, we argued and then I came to find you all." Eve finished with a pleading tone in her voice.

"Wait, back-up" Regina interjected. "What do you mean Hades put you to sleep?"

Eve hesitated, looking at Rumple facing Regina with a sober expression. "When I first got down here, I was able to perform magic despite not having Hades permission. We ended up striking a deal. I would offer him my services whenever there were problems in town which the sheriff couldn't handle. In exchange, Hades gave me the ability to sleep – a luxury that doesn't exist in the Underworld. I've spent most of my time down here sleeping – only woken when I was needed for something. It's easy for me to miss a chunk of time here, and that never mattered until you all arrived. Hades put me back to sleep, and was going to keep me sleeping until he dealt with you all. Somehow, I woke myself up for the first time. Then I found out Hades had lied, and that you were all down in the Underworld. I left him in his throne room less than an hour ago."

Eve took a few steps towards Killian, looking at him through the gap between Emma and Henry. "Killian, if I had known that Hades was torturing you; I wouldn't have allowed it, I swear."

"You're nothing but a well of lies." Rumple hissed in the background, and Eve watched Snow glare at him before she looked back at Eve.

"Eve, I believe you're telling the truth." She gave Eve as small smile.

"I do too" David spoke up, placing a hand on Snow's shoulder.

"Me too" Henry agreed, and he gave Eve an approving smile.

"Aye, I don't think you would've seen me tortured had you known." Killian nodded solemnly.

"This is absolute nonsense." Rumple growled, getting everyone's attention. "I'm not going to stand here and watch you all put your trust into someone who will foil our plans to escape. If anyone needs me, I'll be in my shop."

When Rumple disappeared, Eve let out a sigh. Snow locked eyes with her and gave her a sympathetic smile.

"So hang on…" Emma spoke up, pacing the room. "How come you're able to use your magic down here without any permission or difficulty? Regina and I can't get a handle on ours…"

"It's because she's the Pure One." Regina answered, her arms folded as she rested her back against the kitchen counter. "Right, Eve? I remember you trying to tell me – all that time ago during the mess with the Author."

"The Pure One?" Emma asked in confusion, looking between Regina and Eve along with everyone else in the room.

"I didn't believe in it" Regina replied, smirking slightly as she shook her head. "The Pure One is something I had learned was a mere myth in the history of Magic. Even my mother didn't believe it was a real thing."

"What does it mean? What's the myth?" Robin asked, voicing everyone's curiosity.

"Gold is The Dark One. The purest form of Dark Magic. The legend goes that magic began with The Dark One, The Light One, and – the very creator of magic; The Pure One. Any well-educated sorcerer learns that the Dark One killed the Light One during an ancient war – but no one could ever say for certain what happened to The Pure One. Myths say that even if the Pure One was killed; they would be reborn in a different form every time – to preserve the existence of magic. But no one has ever spotted The Pure One before. At least until now, I guess."

"So you…you're the reason magic exists?" Henry piped up, looking up at Eve with amazement in his eyes.

Eve shrugged. "I've never been told that part…I just knew that there were only a few forms of magic that were as strong as mine. The storybook for example; that's where the Sorcerer's Apprentice trapped me for a year with Felix. And then there's the Author's Pen…Destroying that was mainly what killed me. I was using magic on myself, in a way, I guess. Right, Regina?"

Regina only nodded, looking at Eve now as if she were a gleaming jewel. "This is pretty amazing. The things the Evil Queen would've done with you..."

"That's a good point" Snow interjected. "How could Regina not have known about you back in the Enchanted Forest?"

Eve bit her lip, looking down at ground contemplating what to say. "I have a history with someone who discovered me before anyone else did. They taught me how to truly use my magic, and they also kept me out of Regina's knowledge when she was the Evil Queen."

"Who taught you?" David asked.

"I can't answer that question right now, I'm sorry. I came here today to get you all out of here. I can easily get hold of a boat to bring you all back to Storybrooke." Eve replied, looking around the room and breathing a sigh of relief to notice the hostility towards her completely disappear.

"That might be a problem." Killian admitted sheepishly. "Hades has engraved some of our names into tombstones. Not all of us can leave on the boat."

"Oh…" Eve replied in dismay. "Well I'm sure we can find a way around that. I can talk to Hades…But I think I might have to wait a while. We're not on great terms right now."

"That's okay." Snow assured her. "We'll be helping people in the meantime – until we all figure out a way to leave."

"Helping people?" Eve raised an eyebrow.

"We've helped a few people move on from the Underworld – to a better place." Regina confirmed.

"Oh…" Eve thought about it for a moment. Hades would hate that. It would unbalance the control he had in the Underworld.

"If I want to help you at all, I can't be a part of that I'm afraid. I'm sorry." Eve admitted.

"It's okay" Snow replied. "Just focus on helping find a way back to Storybrooke."

/

That evening, everyone had gathered in the apartment after a day of avoiding Hades and helping people in the town. Eve had spent the day with Henry in the apartment's loft. She figured the best way to find a way out of the Underworld was to study Hades' story in the book, while Henry filled in a few gaps in the story, and the life in Storybrooke since she had been killed.

"How come you're not in the book?" Henry asked at one point. "I've checked so many times. You're not in any of the stories. Even now, while we're here – I haven't written you into the story."

"It's probably something to do with the magic" Eve guessed. "My magic hides me from the stories, I suppose. I don't know if that's a good thing or not."

"It's weird." Henry replied. "It's strange not to know your story. I know everyone else's."

"Maybe I'll tell it someday." Eve mused. "It's an interesting one."

"Why won't you tell us who taught you magic?" Henry asked after a moment.

"It's complicated…The person who taught me magic; they don't remember me." She replied earnestly. "I think they have to know before I can tell people who it is."

"You sound lonely." Henry thought-aloud, and then blushed. "I'm sorry…"

Eve smiled. "I admire you Henry. You're very honest."

Suddenly, they heard the door opening downstairs. The smell of hot food filled the apartment almost immediately.

"Henry, come down for dinner!" Regina's voice called. "Picked it up from the diner!"

Henry got up from his chair and gave Eve a small smile before he made his way downstairs. As soon as Eve was alone in the loft, she heaved a heavy sigh; thinking of Rumplestilskin. All day, she had wanted to read his story but she couldn't give Henry any indication of their past. Now that she had the chance, she placed the book on her lap and found Rumple's story with the help of her magic. She scanned the words and illustrations, learning tiny details but knowing most of the story already. She sometimes forgot just how dark Rumple could be, but also she remembered how hard his life had been between his first wife, his father, and his son. The tears in her eyes almost startled Eve as she watched a droplet land on an illustration of Rumple sitting at his spinning wheel in his Dark Castle.

"Eve?"

Eve looked up, closing the book shut and wiping her eyes simultaneously as Snow White appeared at the top of the stairs. The kind woman gave her a sad smile before crossing the room and sitting next to her on the foot of the bed.

"You know…Ruby really misses you. Archie too." She said softly, placing a hand on Eve's shoulder.

"Are they doing okay? When you last saw them?" Eve asked quietly, trying to even her voice out.

"Yeah" Snow replied, getting emotional herself. "They're okay. They miss you every day. We all do. You saved us all from Felix."

Eve shook her head in disbelief. "I let you all down so many times, Snow. I could've helped a dozen times before Felix was a threat. I made the wrong decision every time there was a danger in Storybrooke. People died and maybe if I had stepped in, they'd still be alive…"

"What held you back, Eve?" Snow asked softly, squeezing Eve's shoulder for reassurance.

"I was told I couldn't get involved in the stories." She replied, choking on her words slightly. "I was too dangerous to even help the good people. And I chose to believe them, when I could've just ignored them and helped you all."

"Eve it's okay. I can't speak for everyone else in Storybrooke, but…but I forgive you. I believe that you were just trying to do the right thing. You just didn't have enough people around you to help you figure out what the right thing was." Snow whispered, rubbing Eve's back as tears spilled from her cheeks.

"Thank you so much, Snow. You're too kind."

Eve calmed herself down after a few moments, wiping her tears away while Snow rubbed her back.


	24. Chapter 24

Rumple appeared in Hades' throne room half-expecting Eve to be lazing about somewhere nearby. Instead he was welcomed by Hades himself, sitting in his chair with a relaxed posture.

"Where is she?" Rumple asked, looking around suspiciously.

"Eve isn't the reason I asked to speak with you, Rumplestilskin." Hades replied with a pleasant smile as he rose from his chair.

"I brought you here to make you an offer, my friend!" He continued, circling Rumple.

"We agreed that if I destroyed the boat, you'd get me my ticket home." Rumple replied with a growl. "A gentleman always fulfils his part of the deal!"

"Ah…I see." Hades chuckled. "Well maybe if I hadn't found out all your secrets, I'd be giving you that ticket right now…But you've been keeping secrets, haven't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Rumple replied calmly.

"Don't pretend to be innocent, Dark One. I know that Belle is pregnant with your second born. And I also know about the deal you struck with a Shaman – all those years ago" Hades sneered with a grin.

He clicked his fingers and Rumple watched the Shaman from his past appear right before him. Hades clicked his fingers again and the man disappeared, and he produced a scroll from his hand.

"You think if you killed him, your contract would be nullified. Not true, I'm afraid. He sold me the contract. You owe ME your child now. How about that for a plot twist?"

"What do you want?" Rumple's voice broke slightly, in both rage and woe.

"You work for me now. I tell you to do something, you do it. Otherwise I take your baby. I'm sure Belle wouldn't be too much of a fan if you let that happen, now would she?" Hades gleamed a smile.

"Where is Eve?" Rumple replied, glaring down at Hades suspiciously.

"Why such an interest in her all of a sudden, huh? Is she the real reason you're down here?" He taunted, his back turned to Rumple as he grinned to himself.

"Don't be ridiculous…Let's get this over with. What do you need from me in exchange for passage home?"

"You're going to do a couple things for me before I let you go, Rumplestilskin. The first one…The first one you can look at as your punishment for not being fully honest with me when we first met…"

Hades smiled, reached into his suit pocket and produced a glowing yellow stone. It was the stone Eve had given Rumple not long before she had sacrificed herself to save his dark heart.

"How could you have that?" Rumple frowned. "I destroyed it"

"Well ya see there chief" Hades looked disgustingly smug "like people; when items are destroyed, most of them make their way down to me. Including this little ol' thing. Eve doesn't know that I know about it, but she watched you destroy that thing through one of my looking-glasses. She tried so hard to pretend that you didn't break her heart when she watched you do that. She never looked at Storybrooke again after that."

"Eve means nothing to me, neither does the stone." Rumple replied, and he meant it.

"You want to know what I think?" Hades said, tossing the stone between his hands. "I think you're scared to find out what's in that stone. And honestly, the chance to see the Dark One face something he's afraid of…it would simply be an honour."

"That's your first command?" Rumple asked doubtfully. "You want me to open the stone?"

"Precisely. Think you're brave enough?" Hades grinned confidently.

"Hand it over" Rumple replied evenly, holding out his hand. "She means nothing to me, and that'll still be the case after this stone is opened."

The stone appeared in his hand moments later, and Rumple looked up to see Hades practically shaking with gleeful victory. He heaved a heavy sigh before looking down at the glowing stone in his hand. From what he understood, it was Eve's memories. He began waving his hand in a circle above the stone, confident that this was the easiest deal he'd ever make…

/

Rumple regained his vision of present-time and found tears spilling out over his cheeks. With a trembling hand, he wiped them away and tried to stand up straight despite his knees shaking. All he wanted to do was find Eve, but he was in debt to Hades and wasn't free to simply disappear.

"I bet you feel pretty bad, huh?" Hades sneered. "What a woeful story. Lonely Eve – lost and unloved because of the decisions you made for her."

"You said you wanted me to do something else for you" Rumple breathed, willing his voice to get stronger. "What is it?"

Hades gave him a big smile. "I need you to open a portal for me."

/

Rumple stepped out of the elevator, a hundred thoughts running through his head. He wondered why the portal spell hadn't worked, and he wondered what he was going to say to Eve when he faced her. All these thoughts came to an abrupt halt, however, when Belle emerged from behind a book shelf with a baby in her arms.

Belle had fallen through the portal with Robin and Zelena's baby in her arms. Rumple told her about her pregnancy, about the deal he had made regarding his second born child, and Belle figured out that he was the Dark One once again. He was crueller, blunter with her than he wanted to be when Belle reacted the way she did, but Rumple's mind was too busy whirring with so many thoughts and memories that were all struggling to organise themselves. He had to find Eve now, and deal with Belle later.

/

"You sure you don't want anything, Eve? There's plenty of food here you know." Emma asked as she dipped a French fry into ketchup as she sat in between Henry and Regina.

"I'm okay, thank you. I think I'll go back upstairs and look in the book – if Henry is okay with it?" Eve replied, looking at Henry expectantly.

"Sure" Henry agreed with a mouth full of food. "Let me know if you find anything."

Eve crossed the room towards the stairs, catching Snow's eye as she passed. Snow gave her a small, secret smile knowing that Eve didn't want any attention from anyone right now. Eve made her way upstairs, easily blocking out the chatter that came from the kitchen counter. She sat down in a chair that was tucked into the corner of the loft beside a large window looking out onto the street. She outstretched her hand and commanded the book to fly into her lap. Flipping to a page around the time when Eve would have just come to the Underworld, she began reading to catch up with everything she had missed since her death.

No more than ten minutes passed by the time Eve heard a light knocking against the window next to her chair. She watched in surprise as tiny droplet of glowing light rapped against the glass, as if they weren't supposed to catch anyone's attention but hers. She narrowed her gaze to look beyond the glass, and saw Rumplestilskin standing in the middle of the street looking up at her. Wordlessly, Eve stood up, placed the book on the bed, and disappeared in golden smoke.

A moment later, she was standing ten feet away from Rumple in the middle of the quiet street. The look on his face was startling, as it was the first time she didn't sense any hostility in him. He walked towards her, his eyes glassy and red. His hands were shaking by his sides.

"Don't say anything yet" He whispered, walking up to her quickly, placing his hands firmly on the sides of her face and pulling her in for a kiss so deep that she made a squeaking sound in surprise.

Eve couldn't say anything even if she wanted – she was too confused. She watched purple smoke cloud her vision and suddenly the pair of them were standing in the middle of the decaying forest.

"Rumple, what's going on?" Eve asked, her voice shaking slightly as Rumple held onto her hands.

"Eve…" Rumple's face screwed up in pain. "I remember."

Eve's heart fluttered and her stomach flipped so hard, she felt ill. "What? You…What do you remember?"

"I remember everything. I remember you, Eve." Rumple's voice croaked. "My darling Eve, I remember everything about you."

Without saying anything more, Rumple leaned in and kissed Eve with such desperation and passion; it was overwhelming. Eve's knees buckled but Rumple's hold on her waist was so strong that she stayed upright as he leaned into her. After what felt like time stopping completely, the world started spinning again when they eventually pulled away from each other. Rumple leaned his forehead against Eve's as she began crying involuntarily.

"I'm so sorry, Eve." He whispered, nearly sobbing. "You've been alone for so long because of me. I'm so sorry, my darling, I'm so so sorry."

"How do you remember me?" Eve asked through her tears. "I watched you crush that stone. I watched you through a looking glass."

"It doesn't matter, my darling. All that matters is that I finally remember who you are. I don't know how I can make this up to you but I'll try my best. I promise."

Eve kissed him again, trembling all over as her biggest dream came true at a time when she thought it was lost forever.

"Rumple…" Eve breathed. "It's okay. I forgive you. All I wanted is for you to remember. And now that you do…Maybe I can move on. But I won't go until I make sure you and everyone else can leave this place."

"Move on?" Rumple asked, dazed. "What are you talking about?"

"Rumple, I'm dead, remember?" Eve replied softly, as a tear slowly streaked her already stained cheek.

"Wait…" Rumple muttered, sobering up very suddenly as he continued holding her by her waste. "This whole time you think you've been dead?"

"Well…yeah." Eve said, her eyes widening a fraction. "I am dead, aren't I?"

"No!" Rumple scoffed, reaching for her hands. "How could you be? You're still wielding your pure magic! If you had truly died, you wouldn't even be down here. Eve would disappear from existence and a new Pure One would eventually come into being."

"So I'm not dead?!" Eve practically yelled. "But I…I'm so confused. I've spent all this time down here…why didn't I just wake up in Storybrooke again?"

"If I had to guess, it's because you were so close to death that your soul couldn't handle the land of the living – even if just for a moment, so it had to come down here to the Underworld. But you've recovered. You are definitely alive, I can tell."

"I'm not dead…" Eve started smiling, but the joy faded when she thought of Hades. "Hades let me believe I was dead – so I could stay down here with him."

"And he would've done so forever if we hadn't come down here to fetch the pirate…" Rumple thought aloud. The rage as building up inside of him too.

"I'm going to kill him." Eve said in an even tone before whirling around to start walking, but Rumple reappeared in front of her, blocking her path.

"I know you're angry – I am too, but we'll have to be smart about this." He said, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"But Rumple, we could definitely-

"Together, we can squish anyone like a bug – I know this, Eve. But Hades is a different kind of enemy. He's a god of his own world. A world that we are in right now. We're in a lot of danger if we charge into his throne room without any plan first. Do you understand?" Rumple reasoned through gritted teeth, rubbing Eve's arms in an attempt to calm her down enough to listen to his advice.

Eve stared at Rumple for several moments in silence before finally nodding. "You're right, I'm sorry."

"Just give me some time to come up with a plan. All I need is a bit of time." Rumple said, holding her hands in his.

The two of them stared at one another for several moments as if they were meeting for the first time. After some time passed, Eve felt Rumple's hand touch her face and she smiled up at him.

"I feel like it's been years since we last saw each other." She whispered softly.

"It has" Rumple smiled back at her, a deep sadness in his eyes. "There's a lot we have to figure out together, my darling. Alas, we need to prioritise – and get out of this place."

"We're bringing the rest of them." Eve said, her tone turning more serious now.

Rumple's loving expression faded slightly and he lowered his hand from her face. "Are we?"

"Afraid so." Eve replied, smirking. "All the living ones anyway. I'm not entirely sure how we'd bring Killian back with us, since he's dead. I'm not sure how that's going to work."

"He won't be able to come back with us." Rumple confirmed. "His soul is down here. His body is in Storybrooke, rotting away beyond repossession."

Eve frowned, thinking of Emma's distraught. "Maybe there's a loophole that even you don't know about. From what I've seen, heroes tend to find loopholes too."

"Indeed but that isn't something we'll wait around for once we have the chance to leave here." Rumple firmly pointed out, and Eve didn't disagree with him.


	25. Chapter 25 - Story Update

**Warning:** This is just an Author's Note.

I know that I haven't posted since mid-January and for anyone who was following from December to then have no new chapters, I'm really sorry - I know how annoying it can be for a writer to disappear like I have.

I'm in college at the moment - this Once Upon A Time story was a Christmas break distraction for me because I had so much free time on my hands for a month. I went back to college at the end of January and I became insanely busy. I'm still pretty busy now that it's May and everything is wrapping up.

The other night, I suddenly remembered that I had posted this story and had received compliments on it, and even a few followers. For the first time in months, I logged on to check stats and reviews and was pretty shocked. I'm pretty sure I left in January with something like 12 followers and now it's in the 40s/50s. It's not like numbers really matter when it comes to writing this stuff, but it was still pretty cool to find out that even after months of quiet, the numbers were still climbing. And to the people who left a review since January, I've finally read them and want to say thank you!

 **This story hasn't been abandoned. I'll be posting chapters again in a few weeks time. And sorry again for the disappearance.**


End file.
